Australian Tennis chief executive Craig Tiley has confirmed that the 2021 Australian Open has been postponed to February 8.
The coronavirus epidemic has confirmed that organizing a major slam tournament has been extremely difficult for the TA, and there have been concerns that next year’s event will be canceled.
Craig Tiley Makes The Happy Announcement
But as reported by News Corp, Tiley informed the players that the Australian Open would start in early February.
“It took a while, but the good news is that it looks like we will be able to hold the AO on February 8,” Tiley said in an email.
Safety Guidelines
“The players will have to separate for two weeks from January 15, but the Victoria government has agreed to special conditions for AO participants – acknowledging that they must be able to prepare for the Grand Slam.
“There will be strict conditions, but after isolation, the players are free to stay where they want, go where they want, play leading games and compete in the AO in front of important crowds in the big Melbourne area for the first time. for many months. ”
Tiley initially wanted the players to board a plane from mid-December so that they could be locked up alone before playing traditional warm-up events.
But provincial Premier Dan Andrews reportedly only wants players to arrive from the beginning of January – making it difficult to play construction events before the first day.
On Wednesday, Andrews said he was still determined to host the tournament, but safety was critical to the province’s recent long-term closure to end the second wave of COVID-19.
8th February Is The Day
“The Australian Open is the only tennis tournament in the city where it is likely that those players will bring the virus here,” Andrews told reporters in Melbourne.
The first day of February 8 could allow for a week of warm-up competition after the players came up with a split, but the men’s ATP Cup is likely to be among the construction events to be canceled in 2021.
Last month, 20-year-old Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal said it was an unprecedented situation and urged patience from the players as they awaited confirmation.
“That’s hard for everyone,” Nadal told the ATP Finals in London.
“We have to be flexible to understand the situation and find a way to play as many tournaments as possible next year.”
