Another Australian Open tennis player has tested positive for COVID-19 taking the total number of tennis players infected with the virus to nine. Since Saturday, at least 72 players and other staff have been ordered to stay in their Melbourne hotel rooms after arriving in Australia for the Grand Slam event.Before 1,200 players, staff, and officials arrived in Australia for the year's first big tennis tournament, organizers were questioned over the precautions they had taken. Australia has a meager number of people that have been infected by the deadly virus and one of the world's strictest rules for entry.All passengers arriving in Australia, including Australian citizens, must quarantine for 14 days at a designated facility. From January 22, arriving passengers must provide a negative PCR test taken no later than 72 hours before departure.

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Players are complaining

Many players have taken to social media to complain about how they are confined to hotel rooms, while others are free to train ahead of the tournament. Some players have gone so far as to say they would not have come if they had known about the quarantine rule. Australia Tennis says they made it clear to competitors what the rules were in the lead up to the event.

The rules stipulated that:

• All those taking part in the Australian open had to test negative for COVID-19 before boarding a flight to Australia
• All players had to stay at designated Australian Open quarantine hotels in Melbourne and Adelaide
• Players are allowed out of their hotel rooms for five hours per day to practice

The players did not know that if anyone tested positive for COVID-19, all the other passengers on the plane would be confined to their hotel rooms for 14 days. Three-time Grand Slam quarterfinalist Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan wrote on Twitter:

"What I don't understand is that why no-one ever told us, if one person onboard is positive, the whole plane need to be isolated... I would think twice before coming here."

Meanwhile, Romanian tennis star Sorana Cirstea wrote on Twitter that she thought she would only have to quarantine if someone in her team tested positive for the virus.

The rules were clear

Despite the complaints, the vast majority of players attending said that they understood Australia's strict conditions. When speaking to the BBC about the tournaments, COVID-19 rules Australian Open director Craig Tiley said he understood the "emotion" from players but argued about the rules not being properly explained.

"We did make it very clear at the beginning. That's why we had the player groups in cohorts. There was always a risk that someone would be positive and have to go into 14 days of isolation," he said.

Many Australians are complaining

Despite concerns about one of Australia's premier sporting tournaments taking place while the world is battling a global pandemic, tournament organizers managed to negotiate with the government.

Besides laying down the rules above, the event organizers said they would fly competitors, staff, and tennis officials on specially chartered flights. The mere fact that these flights were able to take place has upset many Australians who cannot return home due to travel restrictions.

The first five COVID-19 cases connected to the Australian Open arrived on flights from Los Angeles, Abu Dhabi, and Qatar. On the flight from Los Angeles, QR7493, a member of the aircraft's crew, a tennis coach, and a journalist tested positive for the coronavirus, while two more positive cases arrived on the Abu Dhabi and Doha flights.

Considering Australia's strict COVID-19 rules and the fact that thousands of Australian citizens are stranded abroad, unable to get home, why did the government decide to go ahead with the tournament?

What do you think about them going ahead with the Australian Open? Please tell us your thoughts in the comments.