Australian Open likely to start in February amid rumours the ATP Cup will be cancelled

Everything is pointing to an Australian Open in February with a much-loved lead up tournament scrapped. Scott Gullan has the latest on the summer of tennis schedule.

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

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.