MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA — Novak Djokovic was about to respond to a question about Australian Open crowds when he paused, thought for a moment, and then asked an official if fans were still allowed into Melbourne Park for the year’s first major.
That was still the plan on the eve of the tournament: up to 30,000 daily — about 50% of capacity.
But it’s been such a crazy 12 months since Djokovic won his eighth Australian Open title, right up to this week’s 24-hour shutdown of matches during the tuneup tournaments because of a coronavirus scare, that it was only prudent to check.