The 2020 Australian Open was the last tennis grand slam to be played without the major impact of Covid-19. The subsequent slams that year were either cancelled (Wimbledon), postponed (French Open) or suffered from major player withdrawals (US Open). As the top-flight tennis returns to Melbourne and the pandemic remains, it is not surprising that the movement of over 1,000 people associated with the Open into Australia has come with serious complications.
Novak Djokovic during the 2019 Australian Open
At the time of writing 72 players are observing strict quarantine protocols, confined to their hotel rooms for 14 days. This is due to positive Covid tests among passengers onboard chartered flights from Los Angeles, Doha and Abu Dhabi provided for players, support staff and officials. All the players entering Australia were due to be subject to some level of restriction prior to the tournament. Those not on affected flights, still have to adhere to limitations but are allowed out of their rooms for 5 hours each day.
During those 5 hours, which includes travel to and from the practice courts, two hours are dedicated to on-court practice, 1.5 hours is spent in the gym and an hour is used for enjoying some food. Five hours may seem adequate for training, but compared to normal schedules this is heavily restricted. Recovery sessions, extended physiotherapy and additional practice sessions that usually occur during the build-up to a grand slam have been curtailed. However, for those left unable to leave their rooms and therefore unable to engage in any meaningful practice the disparity could put them at a major performance disadvantage. Current world number 1 Novak Djokovic, who isn’t under the enhanced protocols, voiced his concerns on behalf of a number of quarantined players to the tournament director Craig Tiley. However, the suggestions of reduced quarantined time or being moved to homes with tennis training provision were dismissed and the strict rules remain in place.
From a sporting perspective were Djokovic’s concerns valid? Is 14 days of restricted activity really enough to have a performance impact? Looking at the sport science literature it does seem so, yes.
In 2018, a study by Chang Hwa Joo showed that two weeks of detraining in footballers reduced both overall fitness and repeated sprint ability. Both markers that transfer to the fitness needed to perform at the elite end of tennis. It has also been noted that athletes can suffer from significant declines in technical performance following a break period. In 2020, Marco Beato and colleagues showed that in professional football “frequency and accuracy of crucial actions such as shooting and passing are significantly affected by the mid-season winter break”. While again, this research comes from football, it's not unreasonable to expect a similar performance impact to be seen regarding ‘critical actions’ within tennis.
The good news for those players stuck in their rooms is that two weeks doesn’t seem to be enough to make a major dent in muscular strength and any small decreases can easily be reversed once training resumes. We have previously written about the shift in fitness from endurance to power among the world’s elite tennis players. Of course, those players confined to their rooms aren’t just sitting on their beds watching movies. They have all been engaging in as much exercise and activity as they can in order to maintain a level of fitness. So, the change in fitness profile among modern players and the training they are able to enjoy during quarantine should enable relatively rapid responses to increased training loads and therefore a return to fitness. The responses in terms of technical performance however are difficult to predict.
At the elite end of any sport, the specifics regarding training and preparation intrigue fans. This gives athletes and sponsors the opportunity to serve fans content outside of major tournaments and matches. They can highlight interesting or exceptional training challenges, showcase the demands of elite performance and share the many mental and emotional facets needed to perform on the world stage. The build-up to this year’s Australian Open is certainly one of the most challenging ever faced.
As the potential disparity in preparation between players became apparent, Tennis Australia made arrangements to provide fitness equipment, including free weights and exercise bikes to those confined to their rooms. For fitness equipment manufacturers, the very obvious strategy to provide support in return of having some of the world’s finest athletes using their equipment is clear. The opportunity to build brand presence by simply amplifying any training videos the players post across social media is straightforward and has been the bedrock of sports marketing since its inception. However, for the Australian Open’s major partner, KIA, this year’s tournament is about far more than showing players arrive in their latest high spec wheels.
KIA is using the tournament to bring its new brand identity to the masses. Kia’s brand manifesto is based around ‘movement that inspires’. A mindset of moving forward, always striving, and of constant improvement.
Drawing a parallel with an elite performance tournament is always going to help showcase these qualities. However, the performance story that underpins inspirational movement on court, a mindset of always striving and constant improvement - these stories are built off the court. They are developed in training and when faced with unplanned, unusual and difficult challenges.
Can KIA adjust to live its own brand mindset by ‘being progressive, optimistic and positive, willing to change and adapt for the future, driven by new ideas and seeing opportunities everywhere’? If it can, then the chance to showcase the positive mindset, the inspiring movement and the adaptation that players and support staff have used during quarantine restrictions in the build-up to this year’s Australian Open could form an incredibly positive and inspiring sponsorship story to kick off the 2021 international sporting calendar…
Sport Science Agency uses its insight and expertise to tell performance stories and unlocks their value for brands, broadcasters and rights holders. To see some of our work click here If you want to know more about what we can do for you, drop us a note via info@sportscienceagency.com and we can arrange to go for a healthy vitamin packed drink.