Australian Open 2021 organizers give 'massive update' on tournament's fate

The fate of the Australian Open 2021 hangs in the balance as the organisers - Tennis Australia - and the Victoria state government try to work out the specifics of the marquee Grand Slam event. Victoria, the state where the Australian Open's home ground of Melbourne Park is situated, has been one of the worst-hit by the coronavirus pandemic. However, with some stringent controls, Melbourne's coronavirus cases tally has fallen to zero in the last few weeks. With this in mind, the government has become extremely selective about who they let within state borders - shutting it off to other Australians as well. 

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Tennis Australia announces new quarantine rules

Amidst much upheaval regarding the dates and the biosecurity rules at Australian Open 2021, Tennis Australia has announced a slight relaxation in quarantine rules for the tournament. According to the latest reports, the Victoria Government has given Tennis Australia permission to allow players to train during the 14-day quarantine before the tournament. This is a huge victory for the players, with World No.1 and 8-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic lobbying hard for this right. 

ATP Finals champion and World No. 4 Daniil Medvedev will also count this announcement as a win. Medvedev has maintained that it would be “dangerous” for players to go straight from a two-week-long quarantine into a major event like the Australian Open.

It will also be a huge victory for Tennis Australia, who were sure to lose out on some players without this give. Local Victorian newspaper, 'The Age' reported that players would have to “strictly adhere” to health guidelines while practising during the quarantine period. 

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Australian Open, ATP Cup set to be postponed?

While there has been no official communication from Tennis Australia concerning the dates of the Australian Open, Victoria State officials hinted that the event may be postponed by a few weeks from its current dates of January 18-31. The last we heard from TA, CEO Craig Tiley said that the final dates for the AO 2021 would be released by December 6. Discussions continue between the two parties, but with the State relenting on the practice rule, a postponed Australian Open seems likely and will be preferred over a COVID-hit tournament. 

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Another major point of contention between TA and Victoria will be the question of the pre-Australian Open events such as the Adelaide Open and the ATP Cup which will be held in Brisbane, Perth and Sydney. According to a Reuters report, all such events will have to be cancelled in order to accommodate Victoria's closed-border policy.

However, with many players refusing to go ahead without any event to set the Australian Open, the organizers might have to shift precursor events to Victoria as well. 

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Image Credits: AP