Speculation engulfs the Open de Australia 2021 as if it were a bubble. The news that has been arriving in recent days from Australia contrasts sharply with the final stretch of the year on the ATP circuit, where with several tournaments per week we have experienced a feeling of ‘new normal’ that has not been felt for many months. With the circuit beating again and the players leaving their skin on the court (yes, without an audience in many events), a normal calendar for next season seemed a reality rather than an illusion.
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But we live in the middle of a global pandemic, and not all countries have the same policies against the virus. Australia, for example, imposed a quarantine of around three months to stop contagion and “clean” the country of any traces of the disease, a strategy similar to that exercised by New Zealand, your neighboring country. How does this affect tennis? The Australian Open, of course, would host thousands of coaches and tennis players from all over the world. They would enter a country that has banned international flights for months and months.
At first, the feeling was one of security. At least that was repeated by active and passive Craig Tiley, the director of Tennis Australia, who reaffirmed the dispute of the event. He never doubted it. As the time comes to plan the final details at the organizational level, however, the story is a very different one.
First, the Australian Government measures, which prevented players from reaching Melbourne before january. The plans to organize several preparatory tournaments, although they were in the same state of Victoria, were going to hell. If you wanted to keep the same dates, you had to make a engineering work so that tennis players comply with the quarantine and are in optimal conditions to compete in the first Grand Slam of the year. Later came the news of the junior tournament cancellation, just like the US Open 2019. The latest news, yes … invite optimism.
Brett Phillips, the on-track speaker for the Australian Open and the ATP Cup, as well as the host of the First Serve radio show, announced on Twitter a latest update on the Australian Major’s situation. The latest information confirms that the dispute of the Australian Open 2021 still stands, although the start dates are being debated. Two options on the table: a start on January 25 (which is already later than usual) and something unprecedented: the starting gun could be already entered February, specifically on day 1.
AO Update: My understanding is that the international players will be able to quarantine from Jan 7-21 supervised by Victoria Police & will be able to practice but not compete.
Jan 25 or Feb 1 start to be confirmed, & decision still to be made on Qualies & lead in tournament/s
– BrettPhillips (@BrettAPhillips) November 24, 2020
Why this delay in the usual dates? The quarantine of the tennis players should last 14 days, and it would certainly be a violent shock to put them to compete at the highest level the day after ending a lockdown. Of course: it seems that players could train during this period, which would be a complete relief for many. That this measure could be carried out is great news: it is the main request of many of the best players in the world to make the tournament really viable.
The trainings would be supervised at all times by the Victoria Police. Players would only be allowed to do two things: train and spend the rest of their time in their hotel rooms, waiting to comply with the isolation necessary to avoid carrying the virus. The good thing, yes, is that they are closer to returning to compete for greater glory than a few days ago. Only time will tell if our hopes are fulfilled.
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