Two young Aussies score FREE tennis lessons from Novak Djokovic outside his quarantine hotel

Novak Djokovic has given free lessons to two budding tennis players from the balcony of his hotel quarantine room. 

The 33-year-old was seen taking the pair through their paces as they played a rally outside the M Suites in North Adelaide on Tuesday.

The world No. 1 has spent the past few days complaining about quarantine conditions ahead of next month’s Australian Open.

He issued a list of six demands to tournament organisers after 72 players were forced into hard quarantine when passengers on their charter flights to Melbourne tested positive to Covid-19.

Novak Djokovic is pictured clapping as he gives free lessons to two young tennis players from the balcony of his Adelaide hotel room on Tuesday

The men’s world No. 1 is following a lighter quarantine protocol in his Adelaide hotel room

The 33-year-old was seen taking the pair through their paces outside the M Suites in North Adelaide

Djokovic is following a lighter quarantine protocol in his Adelaide hotel room as he competes in an exhibition tournament with other stars.

He is allowed to practice outdoors for five hours a day after he and fellow big names like Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams travelled into Australia on different flights. 

Among the tennis great’s suggestions were that athletes should be quarantined in private houses in Melbourne with tennis courts and gym facilities.

He also asked for competitors be given better food and called for the 14-day quarantine period to be reduced.

Spanish tennis star Roberto Bautista Agut meanwhile likened his quarantine experience in Melbourne to ‘jail with Wi-Fi’.   

Bautista Agut, the world No. 13, slammed the Victorian Government in an interview with an Israeli news channel.

‘It’s the same, it’s the same [as being in prison] with Wi-Fi. These people have no idea about tennis, about practice courts, no idea about anything,’ he said. 

Djokovic – who has issued a series of demands on behalf of the 72 players locked in hard quarantine – is allowed to practice outdoors for five hours each day

Roberto Bautista Agut, the world No. 13, slammed the Victorian government in an interview with an Israeli news channel

The 32-year-old said while he can do moderate workouts in his room, it’s nowhere near as beneficial as practicing on a tennis court

‘It’s a complete disaster because of that, because of the control of everything. It’s not Tennis Australia, it’s the people from the government.’

The 32-year-old said while he can do moderate workouts in his room, it’s nowhere near as beneficial as practicing on a tennis court.

‘You can work in the room but it’s not the same. I feel very, very tight and I cannot imagine staying two weeks like this,’ he said.

‘It’s really, really tough. I will have to work a lot mentally.’

Bautista Agut is the latest of a slew of tennis stars to complain about the conditions in their hotel rooms.

Carreno Busta, the world No.15 who arrived from Spain, shared a picture of a salad, an apple and juice cup alongside the caption ‘really?’.

Italian star and world No.17 Fabio Fognini was offered the same meal, and explained that he hoped he received something more substantial next time.

French player Alize Cornet described the situation as ‘insane’ in a since deleted post.

Roberto Bautista Agut compared hotel quarantine in Melbourne to ‘jail with Wi-Fi-‘ while blasting the Andrews Government over the bungled beginning to the Australian Open

The 30-year-old shared her frustration at the Victorian Government’s quarantine measures. 

‘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,’ she wrote.

Cornet understood that she is ‘privileged’ to be in the position she is in, but argued players are risking serious injury if they compete after a two-week break.

‘This seems to be a very sensitive subject and I understand it… But we are not asking the Victorian residents to play a professional sport afterward. Maybe I’m too focused on my side of the story, but that’s also why we are here for.’

Swiss world No. 12 Belinda Bencic said the restrictions offered some players an unfair advantage.

‘We are not complaining to be in quarantine. We are complaining because of unequal practice/playing conditions before quite important tournaments,’ she said. 

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic copped backlash from fellow players and the public for suggesting athletes be quarantined in private houses in Melbourne with tennis courts and gym facilities

French player Alize Cornet described the situation as ‘insane’ in a since deleted post

Several top tier athletes including Corentin Moutet and Fabio Fognini have critiqued the food they’ve received since arriving last week

Mr Daniel Andrews responded to Djokovic’s demands on Monday by bluntly ruling out any of the 33-year-old’s requests.

‘People are free to provide a list of demands. But the answer is no,’ Mr Andrews said.

On Tuesday, Victoria’s Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton warned the virus could still be incubating in some of the 1200 people who have arrived in Melbourne for the Open. 

The fresh cases come as Open boss Tiley said organisers always expected some positive Covid-19 tests among arrivals.

‘There was going to be an expectation to have several positive cases,’ Tiley told the Nine Network on Tuesday.

Tiley said the lockdown for some players meant preparations for the grand slam starting on February 8 was ‘not an even playing field’. 

‘We’re going to play our part to try to even it up as much as possible,’ Tiley said.

But he rejected calls from some men’s players to reduce Open matches to best of three sets instead of best of five.

‘We’re a grand slam at the end of the day,’ he said.

Alize Cornet shared two photos taken from her own hotel quarantine stay in Melbourne

Several top tier athletes including Carreno Busta and Fabio Fognini have critiqued the food they’ve received since arriving last week

‘Right now, three out of five sets for the men and two out of three sets for the women is the position we plan on sticking to.’

Some players have used social media to detail their perceived hardships of being in lockdown.

‘These are high performing athletes and it is hard to keep a high performing athlete in a room,’ Tiley said.

‘This is the contribution that they have to make in order to get the privilege of when they do come out to compete for $80 million in prize money.

‘We will turn the corner on those few that don’t have the right approach to this.’

Tiley defended Djokovic for appealing to Open organisers to ease restrictions in a wishlist reported on Monday. 

‘In the case of Novak, he wrote a note, these weren’t demands, they were suggestions,’ Tiley said.

‘But he too is understanding what two weeks of lockdown means … every player coming down knew that if they were going to be close contacts or test positive that these were going to be the conditions.’