'Pampered sooks': Bill Shorten's withering spray for tennis 'whingers'

Former Labor leader Bill Shorten has delivered a brutal reality check to players and their entourages who have complained about strict quarantine conditions for the Australian Open.

There are 72 players in hard quarantine and unable to train outside their hotel rooms for 14 days after positive COVID-19 tests on tournament charter flights.

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The strict measures come after six positive cases were linked to three international charter flights carrying players, coaches, staff and officials to Melbourne Park for the year's first grand slam.

Aussie Bernard Tomic is among those in lockdown, with the controversial Aussie sharing the experience with his girlfriend, Vanessa Sierra.

The OnlyFans star has come under criticism after posting video clips of her and Tomic's experiences in lockdown, complaining among other things about the quality of the food provided to them and the fact she has to wash her own hair.

"This is the worst part of quarantine. I don't wash my own hair, I've never washed my own hair. It's just not something that I do. I normally have hairdressers that do it twice a week for me," Sierra told her followers.

"This is the situation that we're dealing with. I can't wait to get out of quarantine just so I can get my hair done."

Channel Nine's Karl Stefanovic showed the clip to Shorten on the Today Show to get his opinion on the matter and the former Labor leader delivered a scathing message to anyone complaining about the Australian Open conditions.

"At a human level, sure, it's not great to be cooped in a hotel room for that period of time. But they just need to get a grip," Shorten said.

"Covid's been shocking. People have died, people have lost their jobs, people haven't been able to go to the funerals of their loved ones and you've got these pampered sooks who are having a cry over their conditions.

"They're elite athletes, I can sympathise. But they get paid a lot of money to come to the Australian Open. Maybe they've just got to see how the rest of the world is putting up with Covid as well."

Kyrgios hits out at players’ criticism

The players will pocket a minimum $100,000 if they take part in the Australian Open main draw, a figure that puts many of their quarantine gripes into prospective.

Shorten admitted that most of the Australian Open participants seemed to be dealing with the situation well, but claimed some of the "attention seekers" were giving the rest a bad name.

The former opposition leader's remarks come after Nick Kyrgios took aim at World No.1 Novak Djokovic, who presented a list of quarantine demands to Australian Open officials, on behalf of the players.

Djokovic reportedly sent Australian Open boss Craig Tiley a letter with six demands he wanted actioned for the players in lockdown in Melbourne.

A Spanish tennis website reported that Djokovic's "demands" included reduced isolation periods, better food and having players moved to "private houses with tennis courts”.

Kyrgios, ranked 47th in the world, took to Twitter on Monday night to share his opinion on the matter.

"Djokovic is a tool," Kyrgios wrote while sharing a news report.

Kyrgios criticised Djokovic time and again in 2020 for organising the Adria Tour exhibition event in the Balkans, where multiple players including the top-ranked Serbian contracted the virus.

Djokovic, who opted to rent a private house instead of staying at a hotel during the 2020 US Open, is among top players who are serving their mandatory quarantine in Adelaide before travelling to Melbourne for the year's first Grand Slam.

Kyrgios, who has slammed tennis players for breaching COVID-19 protocols since the start of the pandemic, also took aim at Tomic's girlfriend.

"I don't mind Bernie but his Mrs obviously has no perspective, ridiculous scenes," Kyrgios wrote.

with AAP

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