Australian Open likely to start in February as optimism grows for quarantine training pass

Will Australian Open players be able to train while serving their government-mandated quarantine period? Here’s the latest on next year’s event. Have your say.

Australian Open Tennis. Nick Kyrgios vs Rafael Nadal on Rod Laver Arena. Nick Kyrgios misses a point. Picture: David Caird

Australian Open officials remain hopeful that players will be able to train while serving their mandatory 14-day hotel quarantine in Melbourne.

In a missive to players that was revealed on Friday, tour officials were reported to have told players that they may be able to arrive in Melbourne from early January, with dates to be confirmed.

They would reportedly then serve the Victorian government-mandated two-week hotel quarantine period but would be able to hit the court during that time under strict and isolated conditions.

Tennis sources remain optimistic that training could be allowed, but conversations remained ongoing on Friday night.

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Will the Australian Open be delayed in 2021? Picture: Scott Barbour/AAP

Australian Open officials have engaged Aspen Medical - a global provider of healthcare solutions that is certified by the World Health Organisation - to assist with quarantine and tournament planning.

A minimal amount of people will be permitted inside the “quarantine bubble”, meaning many players will be restricted in the number of team members they will be able to bring to Australia

The ability to train while quarantined is a significant sticking point for players, many of whom deemed it virtually impossible to perform at the top level in a grand slam after two weeks bound in one room without the ability to keep up fitness.

Talks continue between tennis officials and the state government with no start date for the tournament confirmed, though February 1 has been floated as one potential, meaning the tournament may only be pushed back by a fortnight.

Victoria recorded a 28th-straight day with no new coronavirus cases on Friday, meaning there is a delicate balance between throwing the doors open to players and officials from across the globe and protecting what Victorians have worked so hard to achieve.

Australian player John Millman had said that a hard quarantine - as had been flagged by the state government - would “not be conducive to a player’s health” and could pose a serious injury risk ahead of the Australian Open,

Roger Federer celebrates his win against Aussie John Millman and this year’s Australian Open. Picture: Mark Stewart

“I was hearing ... players would have to come in and do a 14-day hard lockdown like I’m doing right now,” Millman told The Tennis Podcast from his hotel.

“I’ve always been of the opinion if they had to do this, after living through it (myself), there’s zero chance that the tournament goes ahead.

“I just don’t think that it’s conducive to a player’s health to come in and do 14 days confined to a room and then go out there and play a grand slam. You’re at risk of injury. You lose so much conditioning.

“This is going to take me a week or two just to start feeling the ball again when I get out of here.

“I’ve always thought that if that was the case, it (the tournament) wouldn’t exist.

“The grand slam would not exist.”

According to one report, male players were told that the full ATP calendar “for the first quarter of 2021 is likely to be released at the beginning of December”.

AUSSIE STAR WARNS OF HARD HOTEL QUARANTINE PITFALLS

Hard quarantine would “not be conducive to a player’s health” and could pose a serious injury risk ahead of the Australian Open, according to a man who is currently living inside the four walls of a hotel room.

But there may be some hope that players will be able to practice while serving their quarantine, according to reports.

Aussie tennis player John Millman has been vocal in his opinion that a hotel-only quarantine in Victoria could hamper the hopes of the Australian Open, as negotiations continue on the year’s first grand slam.

Talks continue between tennis officials and the Victorian government, which had been adamant that players and their traveling parties serve the mandatory 14-day hotel quarantine upon arrival in Melbourne.

John Millman and his girlfriend Fi in the Sofitel Wentworth Hotel in quarantine.

February 1 looms as a potential start date, with male players reportedly told by the ATP on Friday morning that a 14-day quarantine period “with the ability to practice” could start on January 8.

“I was hearing ... players would have to come in and do a 14-day hard lockdown like I’m doing right now,” Millman told The Tennis Podcast from his hotel.

“I’ve always been of the opinion if they had to do this, after living through it (myself), there’s zero chance that the tournament goes ahead.

“I just don’t think that it’s conducive to a player’s health to come in and do 14 days confined to a room and then go out there and play a grand slam. You’re at risk of injury. You lose so much conditioning.

“This is going to take me a week or two just to start feeling the ball again when I get out of here.

“I’ve always thought that if that was the case, it (the tournament) wouldn’t exist.

“The grand slam would not exist.”

According to one report on social media, male players have been told that the full ATP calendar “for the first quarter of 2021 is likely to be released at the beginning of December”.

Is this how the summer of tennis will look?

- Scott Gullan

The much-hyped ATP Cup is likely to be the biggest casualty of the Australian Open calendar shuffle which now appears headed towards a February 1 start date.

Last year the men’s tour launched the new event - a team competition featuring 24 countries played across three cities - in the lead-up to the Australian Open.

It was viewed as a replacement for the Hopman Cup and was hailed a success with world No.1 Novak Djokovic leading Serbia to victory.

But it won’t happen in 2021 with the strict quarantine of players when they arrive in Melbourne meaning there won’t be the scope for an event of that nature.

One scenario which has come out of the States from sources close to the ATP has the Open starting on February 1 after a week of qualifiers and lead-up tournaments.

Official @AustralianOpen word coming soon, but hearing most likely scenario:
Jan. 5-7: travel period for players (which dooms ATP Cup)….and start of 14-day quarantine
Jan. 25 week: qualies plus tour events
Feb. 1: start of play, with 128-player draws

— Jon Wertheim (@jon_wertheim) November 25, 2020

Nick Kyrgios at the 2020 Aus Open

Sports Illustrated’s Jon Wertheim has reported that players would likely travel to Australia between January 5-7 and then play competitive matches in the week starting January 25.

A full-sized Australian Open with 128 men and women in each singles draw would then begin on February 1 - two weeks after the original scheduled start time of January 18.

Tennis Australia was hopeful of relocating its pre-Open events, usually held in Brisbane, Hobart and Adelaide, to Melbourne and regional Victoria. It’s likely these tournaments would be held instead of the ATP Cup.

Rafa Nadal in action this year

Players have made it clear they won’t play in the Open if they aren’t afforded proper training and match play in the lead-up to the opening Grand Slam of the year.

They are also keen on training while in their 14-day quarantine period, rather than being locked in their hotel rooms - another sticking point in negotiations between TA and the Victorian state government.

The delay would almost certainly force the Rotterdam Open, an ATP 500-level event in the Netherlands scheduled for February 8, to be postponed. The Rio Open in Brazil, scheduled for February 15, would also be impacted.

A delay for a week or two was now “most likely”, said Victorian sports Minister Martin Pakula on Wednesday.

“I still think it’s much more likely that it will be a shorter rather than longer delay,” Pakula said.

The “very complex negotiations” were still under way but he remained confident it would go ahead in the early part of 2021.