Everything hangs by a thread. Tennis holds its breath at the possibility that the Open de Australia 2021 had to be suspended, in what would be a severe blow to the economy of a sport with multiple edges and that requires the Grand Slams to provide many players with the necessary sustenance. The deadline to make everything clear is running out and the certain burden transmitted by the words of Craig Tiley, the director of Tennis Australia, collected by TheAge, introduces a certain nuance of concern in the world of the racket. Although it is true that the best have shown their intention to participate, carrying out an event of this magnitude in the current context is a daunting task.
<!–
–>
“We sent a travel form to the top-100 of the ATP and WTA, explaining the measures that we foresee will have been established and requesting that they tell us if they were going to participate. Everyone has shown their commitment to come to the tournament and that signed document has already been sent to the Immigration Department so that it can process the necessary visas. The point is that everything can change depending on whether we announce that the quarantine will have to be 14 days or 28 “, says the leader of an organization that increasingly perceives as more difficult to play tournaments prior to the Australian Open 2021 in other venues in the country, so the ATP Cup, among other events, would be in danger.
Asked about it, Tiley acknowledges that the deadline to make the decision is running out and they have nothing clear. “In order to carry out the tour as we would like, that is, with several tournaments and different cities, we need our quarantine plans to be approved and also for the government to provide us with some type of exemption that allows mobility from one state to another of the country, since the borders are still closed at the moment. We have to have this resolved within a maximum period of 10-15 days. If not, we will have to concentrate all the activity in Melbourne and create a health bubble that will remain in force for a long time time. Right now I see the issue at 50% for each of the options, “he revealed.
And is that if the Australian government demands a quarantine of more days and a very restrictive bubble for athletes, casualties could happen and the Australian Open 2021 would lose a lot of momentum. It should be remembered that the tickets for the tournament go on sale on November 26 and, in principle, it is expected to have 25% of the capacity. The situation of the pandemic has improved in recent times in the State of Victoria and it cannot be ruled out that, if it continues like this, the capacity could be increased to 50%. The Open de Australia 2021 keep working to be able to dispute and everything will be known in a very short time.
.
