MELBOURNE: Defending champion Novak Djokovic admitted his Australian Open might be over after an injury-hit win on Friday as fans were kicked out ahead of a state-wide coronavirus lockdown.
In extraordinary scenes, the eight-time winner’s night match against Taylor Fritz was suspended at 11.30pm (1230 GMT) to clear Rod Laver Arena before Victoria state’s six million residents were locked down at midnight.
The five-day lockdown, during which fans are barred and players go into a biosecure “bubble”, follows an outbreak of the highly contagious UK coronavirus strain stemming from an airport hotel.
In the now-empty stadium, a grimacing Djokovic, who needed repeated treatment on an abdominal injury, recovered from losing the third and fourth…
