WTA and Tennis Australia reveal new schedule to help players prepare for Aus Open
Quarantined tennis stars have been given a reprieve with a revamped schedule set to give them the best chance to be fit for the Australian Open.
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Tennis Australia has confirmed a new-look schedule in the week leading up to next month’s Australian Open that helps appease concerns about players’ COVID-19-compromised preparation.
The Herald Sun reported on Saturday night that TA was set to add an extra WTA 500 event specifically for those who spent their 14-day quarantine period without leaving their hotel room.
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That is now a reality, with the women’s players among the 72 in hard quarantine who’ve been unable to train having their own lead-in tournament, starting on Wednesday, February 3.
There will now be three WTA events, with the original two beginning as planned on Sunday, 31 January. There will be smaller fields in each as a result.
The ATP tournaments will be pushed back by a day, with the two 250 events starting on Monday, February 1 and the ATP Cup on Tuesday, February 2.
Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley said the scheduling revamp occurred after considerable player consultation.
“This has been a particularly challenging time for the athletes in hard lockdown and we, along with the WTA and ATP, aim to do everything we can to help,” Tiley said.
“These changes to the lead-in events have been made to give the 72 players a little bit of extra time to help them prepare. We also will prioritise them for things like practice sessions, gym and ice baths.”
WTA chief executive Steve Simon and ATP chairman Andrea Gaudenzi have each given their tick of approval to the scheduling tweaks.
The events are being held at Melbourne Park, with tickets for adults starting at $20 and $5 for kids and expected to go on sale this week.
EXCLUSIVE TOURNAMENT FOR HARD LOCKDOWN PLAYERS
Tennis Australia is set to unveil a new-look schedule in the week leading up to next month’s Australian Open in reaction to players’ COVID-19-compromised preparation.
News Corp Sport Australia understands a new WTA event will be added specifically for those who spend their mandatory 14-day quarantine period without leaving their hotel room.
There are 72 players in total in that situation, who were identified as close contacts on one of the three charter flights where there was at least one confirmed positive coronavirus case.
It’s believed the two WTA 500 tournaments already on the calendar will start as planned next Sunday, January 31, but the three men’s events – the ATP Cup and two 250s – will be delayed by 24 hours.
The new WTA tournament will begin on Wednesday, February 3 and finish on the Sunday, with the Australian Open starting the following day, February 8.
Players will emerge from quarantine on Friday and Saturday next week – depending on when their flight arrived – so the extra practice time will be golden for their grand slam hopes.
There’s been considerable outrage from members of the playing group about the situation, with government health authorities standing firm on calls for changes to the length of time in quarantine.
Organisers are also expected to make daily scheduling decisions prioritising players who’ve been in hard quarantine.
They’ve remained in regular contact with those players throughout a difficult period since arriving in Australia.
‘NO FAVOURS’: AUSTRALIA’S NIGHTMARE ATP GROUP REVEALED
Australia will face its ATP Cup nemesis Rafael Nadal in a shortened version of the men’s teams tournament.
Spain defeated a gallant Australian outfit in last year’s semi-final with Nadal overcoming young gun Alex de Minaur to clinch the tie.
The locals got no favours in the draw being placed in Group B against Spain and Greece who are led by world No. 6 Stefanos Tsitsipas.
The ATP Cup, which starts on February 1, only features 12 teams this year because of the COVID-19 issues surrounding the start of the season.
Last year’s winners Serbia are in Group A alongside Germany and Canada.
Dominic Thiem’s Austria heads Group C and is matched with Italy and France while Russia, Argentina and Japan will battle it out in Group D.
Australia will be without its biggest name Nick Kyrgios because of a qualifying technicality which sees only the country’s top two seeded players included.
De Minaur, the world No. 23, will lead the team with the 38th-ranked John Millman replacing Kyrgios whose 11-month absence from the ATP Tour has seen him slip to No. 47.
Doubles specialists John Peers and Luke Saville round out the team which is captained again by Davis Cup skipper Lleyton Hewitt.
Four-time Grand Slam champion Jim Courier said the draw had given the home team, who’d received a wildcard into the event as the host, no favours.
“Alex is going to have his work cut out but he will be up to the task no doubt as he’s come out of the blocks pretty well this season but he’s got Rafa, he’s got Tsitsipas so that’s a big challenge for him,” Courier said.
“But Australia were so good in a very difficult draw last year to get out of the quarter-finals so maybe they will be able to pull off another upset.
“It is a condensed field this year so there are so many great match-ups.”
Kyrgios was a hero of last year’s inaugural ATP Cup downing big-hitting German Jan-Lennard Struff, Brit Cameron Norrie and Greece’s Tsitsipas in successive singles victories en route to the semi-final.
He was defeated by Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut in the semi-final before Nadal overpowered De Minaur after dropping the first set.
World No. 1 Novak Djokovic then inspired Serbia to a memorable victory in the final over Spain.
The 2021 group stage is a round-robin affair with each tie consisting of two singles matches and a doubles encounter.
The four group winners advance to the semi-finals.
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