Now it is certain: the Australian Open will not start until February 8th. The tennis professionals now finally have certainty and can prepare for the first top event of the new year.
Melbourne – The start of the Australian Open on February 8th, which is three weeks late, is official.
This emerges from the published schedule of the ATP Tour for the first weeks of the tennis year 2021. The qualification for the first Grand Slam of the year has also been outsourced to Doha and will take place from January 10th to 13th. The reason for the postponement is the corona pandemic and the applicable regulations in Australia.
“The redesigned calendar for the start of the 2021 season represents a great collaborative effort across tennis under challenging circumstances. Health and safety will continue to be our top priority as we master the challenges ahead,” said ATP chairman Andrea Gaudenzi.
The tennis year starts on January 5th with two tournaments in Turkey and Florida, followed by 18 days without ATP tournaments. During this time, the tennis professionals can complete their two-week mandatory quarantine when entering Australia. From January 31 to February 6 there will be two tournaments known as Melbourne 1 and Melbourne 2 as preparation, and from February 1 to 5 the ATP Cup, a team competition with two singles and one doubles per game.
The professionals are to travel to Australia with their greatly reduced supervisory team between January 15 and 17, 2021 and then go into quarantine for two weeks. However, they should be allowed to train during this time. The time in which you are allowed to leave the hotel quarantine should be limited to five hours a day. In addition, all those involved should be tested several times for the corona virus.
The first Grand Slam tournament of the new season was supposed to start on January 18, 2021. However, the government in the state of Victoria, in which Melbourne is located, had called for a postponement and very strict hygiene conditions, as it is afraid that the tennis entourage will bring the virus from abroad to Australia, which has so far gotten through the pandemic very well . Due to the coronavirus pandemic, tour operations had paused for many months this year.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 201217-99-724042 / 3
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