Barty coach hits out at ‘farcical’ quarantine rules

Ash Barty’s coach has hit out at Australian government bureaucracy after the world No.1 was denied a home quarantine application upon her return home recently.

Barty was denied home quarantine, despite testing negative to Covid-19 on at least 68 occasions this year.

After leaving Australia in March, Barty returned home for a two-week quarantine last month.

Coach Craig Tyzzer said the 25-year-old’s application for home quarantine priod was rejected, which he described as “farcical”.

“For travellers coming back, if you’re an Australian overseas, they don’t make it easy,” Tyzzer said.

“You can’t get flights, it’s ridiculously expensive and you’ve got to do two weeks’ quarantine in a hotel where you can’t open windows.

“You get tested basically the same amounts in the tournaments, both players and their teams.

“So we were up to 68 when Ash left for London and I left to come home to Australia.

“It’s part of what we had to put up with this year. It’s not much fun.

“You know at least everybody around you and in the tournaments are safe and COVID-free so it certainly enables you to operate.

“But to come back and do another couple of weeks (in quarantine) after two tests and finding out you’re negative, it’s a bit ridiculous.”

Barty is unlikely to play at tyre WTA championship in Mexico next month because of quarantine rules.

“Obviously having the right Australian Open lead-up is ideal. Being able to get a pre-season in is massive,” Tyzzer told AAP.

“So obviously the more time we get to work on the things we need to work on and progress in this sport will give us the best opportunity coming into the summer, that’s for sure.”