Alize Cornet apologises for criticism of Australian Open hard quarantine measures

Women's world No.53 Alize Cornet has apologised for lashing out against Australia's quarantine rules after Australian Open players were plunged into hard lockdown.

Cornet, who was not on any of the three flights affected by positive tests for COVID-19, criticised the call to put players in hard quarantine for 14 days; denying them the bubble conditions afforded to unaffected players, who can practice, train and eat outside of their hotel rooms for five hours per day.

"Soon, half of the players from the AO will actually have to isolate. Weeks and weeks of practice and hard work going to waste for one person positive to COVID in a 3/4 empty plane. Sorry but this is insane," Cornet wrote - only to delete the Twitter comment due to heated backlash.

Cornet apologised on Monday, admitting that her comments were "tactless" given Melbourne's past tribulations with hard lockdowns.

Another vocal critic of hard lockdown - world No.28 Yulia Putinseva, who is confined to her hotel room - got creative after coming to terms with her situation.

Putinseva said that she was unsure if she would be able to play a lead-in WTA 500 event before the Australian Open, due to concerns about inadequate preparation.

"I really don't know, because if I got out of these conditions and have to jump on the court and play a match straight, it's really, really bad for my health. So I doubt I'm going to play this event," she said.

Men's player Pablo Cuevas, who has also been hitting balls in his room, upped his hard lockdown game further by going surfing on his bed.