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Players and officials have to undergo a
mandatory 14-day quarantine on arrival in Australia before they
participate in warmup events from Jan. 31 at Melbourne Park,
where the major will be held from Feb. 8-21.
Nadal's coach Carlos Moya said he would not be travelling to
Australia due to the strict health restrictions.
"After speaking with Rafa, we have decided that I won't travel
to Australia with the team," Moya, a former world number one,
said on social media.
"I will follow the tournament from home and will stay with my
family, parents and kids due to the delicate situation that
Spain is living with the virus. Best of luck to the team."
Nadal, U.S. Open champion Thiem, ranked No.3 in the world, and
defending Australian Open winner Novak Djokovic will be among
top players quarantining in Adelaide and then head to Melbourne
for the team-based ATP Cup and the Grand Slam.
Thiem's coach Nicolas Massu of Chile was not on the flight to
Australia, having tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
"Before we took off, we received the surprising message from
Nicolas Massu that he had a positive test," Thiem's father
Wolfgang was quoted as saying by Austria's Kurier daily.
"Nico will be tested again in a few days. We hope that he will
be negative then and he will be able to follow suit soon."
With restrictions on arrival in Australia, it was unlikely that
Massu, a former top 10 player, could be part of Thiem's team at
Melbourne Park.
Thiem, who lost to Djokovic in the 2020 final, will train with
fellow Austrian player Dennis Novak during the quarantine period
when the players are allowed five hours outside their hotel
rooms to prepare for the major.
(Reporting by Sudipto Ganguly; editing by Sam Holmes)
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