Few would have sympathy for tennis players undergoing the exact same quarantine treatment any other returning traveller to Australia needs to endure, but plenty were feeling sorry for Putintseva after she uploaded a disturbing video to social media.
The Kazakhstan star posted a clip of a mouse running around her hotel room, writing: "Been trying to change the room for 2 hours already! And no one came to help due to quarantine situation."
She then tagged the WTA, Australian Open and Tennis Australia, adding: "They put me not in the nicest hotel like other players!"
There was plenty of online reaction to Putintseva's horror clip. Tennis commentator Jose Morgado tweeted "Oh my god" and journalist Ben Rothenberg wrote: "You can't go outside, but the mice can go in."
Fellow reporter Reem Abulleil said: "Holy s**t! I never watched Snakes on a Plane but I assume this is the same thing!!!"
French tennis journo Carole Bouchard wrote on Twitter: "Omg. No no no no … I'd be going mad," while British writer George Bellshaw added: "Of all the Australian Open disasters, this has to be the most surprising."
Daily Mail correspondent Mike Dickson channelled his inner reality TV fan by tweeting: "I'm a tennis player, get me out of here."
Even Judy Murray, Andy Murray's mum, joined in.
