Tennis Australia (TA) has clarified the organisation is covering quarantine costs for the players and staff after concerns were raised of preferential treatment that implied it was coming from Victorian taxpayers. The sports governing body released a statement late Wednesday correcting previous comments made by Australia Open Director Craig Tiley on 3AW earlier that morning the Victorian government will “absolutely” help with hotel costs. In a statement emailed to The Epoch Times, a spokesperson for TA  said: “Tennis Australia is funding the AO quarantine program.” They also clarified that the state government “support” mentioned by Tiley was concerning a possible “extension to the agreement to host the AO in Melbourne and a range of other assets to help promote the city and the state, domestically and internationally.” Originally Tiley had said that funding hotel quarantine arrangements for around 1,200 players and staff would cost the TA over $40 million, in addition to …