Naomi Osaka deletes video of her training during Australian Open quarantine

Like the rest of the world, the COVID-19 pandemic has thrown several wrenches into the plans of sports leagues. The Australian Open tennis tournament is no different and is running the risk of turning into a full-blown player mutiny.

The tournament will be held in Melbourne, which is in the state of Victoria. Under the state’s rules, 72 players who arrived on three different charter flights are strictly confined to their rooms for 14 days after five people tested positive upon arrival in Australia. More players are headed to quarantine when they arrive, too.

These players are not allowed out of their hotel rooms to train or see their coaches. And the food might be bad.

However, several of the biggest players in tennis are quarantining in Adelaide, which is in the state of South Australia, which has less strict rules. Players like Naomi Osaka, Serena Williams, Novak Djokovic, who is advocating for big changes from the tournament, and Rafael Nadal are quarantining in Adelaide and since they were not exposed to COVID while traveling Down Under, they are free to train and meet with coaching staff, according to Yahoo Sports Australia.

Osaka, 23, drew the ire of players who are quarantining in Melbourne after she posted a video on social media which showed her and her coaches training without masks.

According to Italian journalist Luca Fiorino, some of the players in Melbourne are very unhappy.

“Some players tried to break out of the hotel room. At the next attempt they will be driven out from Australia,” Fiorino wrote on Twitter. “A revolt broke out. The players are not very happy for the unequal treatment in relation to big players in Adelaide. This photo of Naomi Osaka has driven their mad.”

Osaka, the 2019 Australian Open champion, appears to have been pressured by either other players, her own staff or tournament organizers to delete the video, but the damage may have been done.

FILE - In this Jan. 22, 2020, file photo, Japan's Naomi Osaka walks into Margaret Court Arena for her second round singles match against China's Zheng Saisai at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia. (Andy Brownbill/)

Craig Tiley, the head of Tennis Australia, said the players in Adelaide were not being given preferential treatment and are quarantining there because space is at a premium in Melbourne.

“We’re right up to the edge of people that can quarantine in Melbourne so we needed some relief,” Tiley told the Tennis Channel.

“We approached the South Australian government about the possibility of them quarantining at least 50 people, but they wouldn’t have any interest in doing it because there’s no benefit for them to do it to put their community at risk if the players then go straight to Melbourne.

“But it would be a benefit if they played an exhibition tournament just before they came to Melbourne, so the premier (Steven Marshall) has agreed to host 50 people in a quarantine bubble and then have those players play an exhibition event.”

After the reported mutiny, players were further upset Sunday when transportation issues delayed the start of everyone’s practice times.

The tournament is scheduled to Feb. 8.