Later Australian Open - what does that mean for the tournament calendar?
Even if the ATP and the WTA get involved in the proposed date for the start of the Australian Open: Many questions about the tournament calendar remain open.
by tennisnet.com
last edit: Dec 03, 2020, 03:36 pm
Depending on the source, you get a whole potpourri of possible scenarios these days as to how things should go on the ATP tour in the coming year after the Australian Open. Or how it should start before. Will the ATP Cup be played after all? After all, this team competition, which was only introduced in 2020, is already an extremely important source of income for the ATP. Implementation is not excluded, much depends on how much time there is between the expiry of the mandatory quarantine and the start of the Australian Open. That date appears to be February 8th.
Of course, that's not all: For all players who would not be employed at the ATP Cup, in the interests of fairness, alternative ways of collecting points must be provided. Which of course also applies to the women. Craig Tiley, the head of Tennis Australia, has stated that the players will not be restricted from movement after the quarantine. It is hard to imagine, however, that the ATP and WTA pros would then spread out all over Australia to play preparatory tournaments. The latest reports from Down Under also indicate that the qualifying tournament for the Aussie Open could take place on other continents.
Rotterdam would have to be postponed
And after the first major in 2021? With a start date on February 8, it is clear that the ATP Tour 500 tournament in Rotterdam would have to be postponed, as well as Buenos Aires and New York. Although there is a big question mark behind the entire South American tour anyway.
And the events in Acapulco (2020 winner: Rafael Nadal ) and Dubai ( Novak Djokovic ) would also have to find a new date if they hope that their respective defending champions will compete: These tournaments were originally supposed to start on February 23. The day after the final of the now probably rescheduled Australian Open.