Tennis players have returned to the courts after Government lifted restrictions of non-contact sports. Tennis Fiji president, Richard Breen said yesterday players would be training under strict safety measures.

“Players have returned to training with restrictions and conditions,” he said.

“We have no local tournaments or outreach programmes planned in the immediate future. These will not be considered until the restrictions are removed.

“We hope to have tournaments in August or September, but it depends on Government approval to be able to do this. So at the moment it is just individual play as a way to start tennis in some form again.”

CONDITIONS

Breen said, players were to play under these conditions:

• Only two players on court at any given time. No doubles or group coaching
• Each player to remain more than two meters apart all times.
• Each player must use his/her own equipment. Therefore no sharing of equipment.
• They must both be on different sides of the court so in theory will be anywhere between 12 and 24 meters apart during play.
• In the event that players change ends they must walk around opposite sides of the net to maintain safe distancing rules.
• When having a break they must not sit together and must again maintain safe distancing rules. The rules being sit at opposite sides of the net posts.
• You must not share water bottles or towels.
• No social gathering or spectators at the court.
• You must wash your hands before and after playing.
• With regards balls, new balls must be used. These can be discarded after practise. That is the norm overseas.
• The balls can be marked before play starts. For example with a marker pen mark an x on two of the balls.

The other two balls have no x. One player can only touch the balls marked x the other player can only touch the balls with no x.

Therefore the players never touch the same balls.

• You must leave after the exercise and no socialising after the tennis.

EVENTS

Meanwhile, all international tournaments are still on hold.

“We have an international event scheduled for August however we are monitoring the Government advisories.

“This may well be postponed or cancelled. This is an International Tennis Federation World Ranking Event,” Breen said.

“We have a junior tour to Vanuatu for a regional event which has now been reconfirmed in September assuming there will be flights.

“We aim to host the Pacific Oceania Junior Championships in October in Lautoka and also have our national team play the Pacific Nations Cup at the end of October in Samoa, again depending if there is travel,” he added.

The International Federation has banned all International ITF sanctioned events currently until the end of July.

Edited by Leone Cabenatabua

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