Sam Groth. (Getty) "So, all the little things you lose. You can do as much as you want in your room, but you can't replicate being on a tennis court – that muscle memory you get from hitting balls. The tendons, the joints – how all that feels. "In terms of quarantine, everyone had to do it, it's a level playing field. Maybe the Aussies have a slight advantage – they didn't have to go into hotel quarantine, most of them." Groth also declared that since every player took to the court during the Melbourne Summer series prior to the Australian Open, the "opportunity to play" and warm-up was ultimately undertaken by each competitor.