2021 Australian Open faces minor delay due to Covid-19

The 2021 Australian Open is set to get underway on 1 February, “pending Victorian government approval”, according to reports. Next year’s season-opening Grand Slam was initially scheduled to run from 18-31 January, but a slight delay is likely to affect its start date, due to clashes between tennis officials and government authorities over Covid-19 restrictions.

At present, players would need to quarantine for two weeks on arrival in Australia. The state of Victoria will reportedly not allow them to enter before 1 January, which would leave players little time for match practice and have an impact on warm-up tournaments.

As a result, the Sydney Morning Herald has reported that “players have been advised the Australian Open will most likely start on 1 February, pending Victorian government approval for them to travel to Melbourne in the first week of January.” The report notes that “players are set to arrive by 7 January at the latest, before completing a 14-day quarantine period”.

Before the announcement, Martin Pakula, Victoria’s Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events, told reporters: “I’m still confident we’ll have an Australian Open, and we’ll have one in the early part of the year. It’ll be delayed by a week or two. I think that’s still mostly likely, it’s not the only option.”

The minister also described an “extremely rigorous testing regime, that will apply to the tennis players, both before they leave the port that they’re coming from, and when they arrive. And then I imagine consistently through the time they’re in a bubble.”

Mr Pakula went on to say: “The exact nature of that quarantine, whether or not it’s their own bubble, or something more common, is still part of those conversations. The quarantine requirements will be those that are ultimately agreed with the public health authorities and then it will be a matter for the ATP and the WTA about whether or not they are acceptable.”

The reaction from players has been mixed

Tennis Australia said it had been in “urgent talks” with the state government regarding quarantining and bio-security arrangements. In a statement, it said: “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 all concerned.”

Daniel Andrews, the current Premier of Victoria, said: “The notion this is all tied up with a bow, it’s a done deal, that’s simply wrong. The public health team needs to sign off on all of these arrangements and they are just not settled.

“We want the event to happen, just like the Boxing Day Test, but the thing about the cricket compared to the tennis is it’s a tiny group of people [who] we think we can quarantine. It’s a massive event. It’s an event that all of us love… but it comes at a time when the rest of the world is on fire.

“The notion this is all a done deal and there’s going to be all these tennis players turning up – no, this is not settled at all. It’s an important event, absolutely, but avoiding a third wave is arguably even more important. This needs to be done on the best of public health advice.”

The reaction from players has been mixed. Twenty-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal, said that this was an unprecedented situation that required patience: “That is difficult for everyone. We need to be flexible to understand the situation and to find a way to play as many tournaments as possible next year.”

World number one Novak Djokovic also asked for patience, but stressed that players should be able to practice during quarantine.

Djokovic told reporters at the ATP Finals in London that he hopes “that there is going to be support and understanding from the Victorian and Australian government for the players and for Tennis Australia and that they will allow players to compete in the second week of quarantine.

“I mean, hopefully that’s going to help tremendously with the calendar and everything, and you won’t be then losing a week. You will be able to have at least a tournament or two prior to the Australian Open, which for majority of the players is important. Having no official match before the Australian Open, before a Grand Slam, is a huge thing.”