The coronavirus has made the Australian Open a massive challenge for tennis players and organizers alike but the best in the world - most of them - are now ready to take to the court in Melbourne.
The contrast to 2020 could hardly be starker when the Australian Open starts Monday with Novak Djokovic and Sofia Kenin defending the titles they won 13 months ago in Melbourne.
Those wins heralded the start of a tennis season which would soon be halted by the coronavirus pandemic and then resumed in limited fashion only months later, after the cancellation of Wimbledon, and with a completely reworked schedule.
The global health situation has forced Australian Open organizers to delay their tournament from its usual slot by three weeks from the intended January 18 start.
And moving the dates has been one of the simpler aspects of the event which takes place after players and their entourages had to quarantine for two weeks on arrival in Australia.
Some players were allowed out for limited periods to train while those unlucky ones - more than 70 - who shared a plane with someone who tested positive were confined to their rooms.
"It's like being in the jail. It's the same, it's the same with Wifi," Argentine Roberto Bautista Agut told Israel's Sport5. "These people have no idea about tennis, about practice courts, no idea about anything."
He later apologized, saying his remarks had been misconstrued, while Serbia's Djokovic was also criticized for sending a list of demands to organizers in a letter he explained as trying to stand up for other players.
Daniel Andrews, premier of Melbourne's state of Victoria, however, insisted: "They were all briefed on that before they came.
"And that was the condition on which they came. There's no special treatment here."
The conditions, or complaints about them, have threatened to overshadow the first grand slam of the year which will have around 30,000 fans a day attending despite the virus.
Swiss great Roger Federer will not be on site as he continues to recover from a knee injury and record eight-time champion Djokovic and world number two Rafael Nadal will face renewed competition from the next generation of players.
Austria's Dominic Thiem won the US Open late last year to break the long stranglehold of the 'big three' and he is in the same half of the draw as Djokovic, who wants an 18th major title to close in on the record of 20 shared by Nadal and Federer.
"I am very much looking forward to playing in front of the people and joining the tennis frenzy and energy of the city that has always carried me to many victories," said Djokovic, who tuned up at the team ATP Cup tournament.
Also chasing history is Serena Williams, looking for a record-equalling 24th grand slam win, but she had to pull out of her warm-up competition at the semi-final stage with a shoulder injury.
That handed world number one Ash Barty a walkover as she concludes preparations in her bid to become the first home winner in Melbourne since 1978.
French Open winner in 2019, Barty did not compete at the end of last season as she remained at home during the pandemic and is still shaking off the rust.
"I thought I did well to hang in there at times," she said after a tight three-set win over underdog Shelby Rogers this week. "Shelby was able to hit me off the caught at other times.
"There were certainly some challenges today but I was happy to click into gear and find a way in that third set."
Barty cannot meet Williams until the final but is in the same half of the draw as women's champion Sofia Kenin of the US, who also lost the final of the French Open.
"After the victory here last year I expected a great season but the pandemic linked to Covid cost me a lot and obviously I was disappointed," said Kenin, who is relishing her return, at a recent sponsor's event.
"I worked hard to be here and it's an honour," she said. "It will be a great challenge, everyone is excited to be back here with the fans, I can't wait to see them and feel their energy."
