Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia, February 12, 2021 General view of Serbia's Novak Djokovic among empty seats during his third round match against Taylor Fritz of the U.S. REUTERS/Loren Elliott
MELBOURNE (Reuters) - After playing in front of limited crowds in a boisterous atmosphere in Melbourne, players will return to the 'new normal' from Saturday as an eerie silence will descend on the Australian Open with fans barred for the next five days.
The discovery of more infections linked to the highly contagious UK variant of COVID-19 prompted authorities to place the state of Victoria under lockdown, but the show will go on as the Grand Slam retreats into its own bio-secure bubble.
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