Umpire hospitalised after heart attack in Australian Open quarantine

Australian Open umpire Carlos Bernardes has been transported to hospital in an ambulance after suffering a heart attack while in hotel quarantine in Melbourne.

The veteran tennis official was rushed to a Melbourne hospital on Wednesday and is reportedly in a stable condition.

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Getty Images published dramatic photos of Bernardes being wheeled into an ambulance outside the View hotel in Melbourne.

According to the Tennis News Brazil website, the umpire is “doing well” and remains in hospital.

Bernardes was undergoing his 14-day hard quarantine period after coming into contact with a positive COVID-19 case on his chartered flight to Australia.

A total of 72 players are also in hard quarantine, unable to leave their hotel rooms for 14 days ahead of the start of the Australian Open on February 8.

Bernardes has been officiating on the ATP Tour since 1990, umpiring the 2006 and 2008 US Open men’s finals and the 2011 Wimbledon men’s final.

He has become a constant at the Australian Open over the years and an icon among diehard tennis fans.

Novak Djokovic’s message to Australian public

Meanwhile, World No.1 Novak Djokovic has insisted he was not being “selfish, difficult and ungrateful” in speaking out about quarantine conditions for players.

Ten people who have flown to Melbourne for the first grand slam of the year have tested positive for coronavirus, resulting in 72 players being confined to their rooms.

Djokovic is part of a group of top players enjoying better conditions while quarantining in Adelaide, but the 33-year-old said he had felt obliged to use his “hard-earned” privileges to make suggestions to tournament director Craig Tiley on how to improve conditions for players in Melbourne.

In a long social media post, Djokovic, who has been criticised widely, wrote: “My good intentions for my fellow competitors in Melbourne have been misconstrued as being selfish, difficult and ungrateful. This couldn't be farther from the truth.

“I genuinely care about my fellow players and I also understand very well how the world is run and who gets bigger and better and why.

“I've earned my privileges the hard way and for that reason it is very difficult for me to be a mere onlooker knowing how much every help, gesture and good word mattered to me when I was small and insignificant in the world pecking order.

“Hence I use my position of privilege to be of service as much as I can where and when needed.”

Regarding his suggestions to Tiley, Djokovic added: “In our email exchange I used an opportunity to brainstorm about potential improvements that could be made to the quarantine of players in Melbourne that were in full lockdown.

“There were a few suggestions and ideas that I gathered from other players from our chat group and there was no harm intended to try and help.

“I was aware that the chances were low that any of our suggestions would be accepted, just like my request to quarantine with my team in Melbourne instead of Adelaide was denied prior to our travel because of the strict government regulations.

“I understand that organising international sporting events during a pandemic poses health risks to the local community and to the players themselves.

“Therefore, I would like to express my full gratitude to Tennis Australia, the Australian Government and local citizens for being willing to take this risk with us for the love of the game and the multiple opportunities it brings to the economy of the country and its people.

“We are honoured and we will all do our best to follow the guidelines and protocols put in place. We do hope that we will be able to nurture our bodies and be ready for the mental and physical endurance and strength tests that are ahead of us once the competition starts.

“Things in the media escalated and there was a general impression that the players (including myself) are ungrateful, weak and selfish because of their unpleasant feelings in quarantine. I am very sorry that it has come that because I do know how grateful many are.

“We all came to Australia to compete. Not being able to train and prepare before the tournament starts is really not easy. None of us ever questioned 14 days of quarantine despite what is being said by media outlets.”

with AAP

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