Tennis Australia hopes to confirm dates for 2021 Australian Open and summer of tennis ‘soon’ – statement

Australian Open
Rod Laver Arena Melbourne Park Australian Open

The wait for official confirmation about the dates for the 2021 Australian Open and other warm-up events continues with Tennis Australia saying they hope to finalise plans “as soon as possible”.

Next year’s Australian Open is currently scheduled to start on 18 January with several other tournaments, including the ATP Cup, Brisbane International and Adelaide International all pencilled in to be played Down Under in the lead up to the hard-court Grand Slam.

Reports, though, emerged a fortnight ago that all warm-up events could be switched to Victoria in order to create one big bubble while on Friday there were suggestions that the Australian Open could be rescheduled to March as parties continue to struggle to come up with a health and safety plan for all involved.

Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews had admitted that he is not sure about the start date for the hard-court Grand Slam at Melbourne Park, and Tennis Australia revealed via a statement that discussions are continuing.

“Tennis Australia is doing everything we can to finalise the summer of tennis as soon as possible,” the statement read.

“Our intention is to deliver a summer in conditions that allow the players to prepare and perform at their best and the fans to enjoy their efforts – all in an environment that is safe for all concerned.

“We are working closely with the Victorian Government on a plan that takes into account the needs of the players, fans, our partners and staff, and is of major benefit to the Victorian and Australian economies.

“We are continuing our urgent talks with local health authorities regarding quarantining and bio-security requirements and are confident we will have decisions soon.

“Tennis Australia is acutely aware of the need for certainty, but also conscious of reaching a solution with the State Government that ensures the safety of the entire community.

“We look forward to announcing our ticket on-sale date as soon as all arrangements with the relevant authorities are finalised and we have more information on crowd sizes. We anticipate this on-sale date will be within the next two weeks.

“We can’t wait for the summer and look forward to bringing you more detail as soon as we possibly can.”

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