Six and out for tennis stars in harsh quarantine

The ATP Tour has confirmed what the tennis calendar will look like as Tennis Australia continues negotiations with local government bodies

Eight-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic celebrating another success in Melbourne Picture: Getty Images

The world’s best players will be required to produce six clear COVID-19 tests in quarantine before being allowed to play the Australian Open and move freely around Melbourne.

Although the Australian summer will be abridged and delayed, with events running over a three-week period, there will be a bonanza of tennis in Victoria in February.

In an indication of how delicate negotiations have been for Tennis Australia when dealing with federal and state governments, confirmation did not come from the national body.

Instead the ATP Tour, mindful of the impact the uncertainty was having on players and other tournaments around the world, revealed their calendar to the world via social media.

The ATP has today announced an update to the 2021 ATP Tour calendar, outlining a revised schedule for the first seven weeks of the season.

— ATP Tour (@atptour) December 17, 2020

There will be a glut of tennis played in Australia, with all parties determined to reward players for serving a fortnight of quarantine, the most stringent they have faced since tennis resumed in August.

The first week of February will see a 12-team ATP Cup, halved from the 24 nations which competed in the inaugural event earlier this year, as well as a separate tournament for those without patriotic duties.

The WTA Tour will host two 500-Tier tournaments – the third highest rung on the calendar – with Ash Barty guaranteed to be the top seed in one of the tournaments.

There is also set to be opportunities for players knocked out of the opening week of the Australian Open, beginning February 8, to compete in separate events in Melbourne in the second week.

Andrea Gaudenzi, the ATP Tour Chairman, said the efforts to arrange the Australian summer and also reorganise the men’s calendar had been significant.

“The reconfigured calendar for the start of the 2021 season represents a huge collaborative effort across tennis, under challenging circumstances,” he said.

Qualifying for the Australian Open will be held in Dubai, with those fortunate to succeed joining their peers on charter flights to Melbourne on January 15 and 16. A maximum of 1000 people will be allowed into Australia.

Those in quarantine will be allowed to train for up to five hours a day with a nominal practice partner in the opening week, before that pool expands slightly in the second.

Players must record a negative test prior to departing for Australia.

If a player tests positive while in quarantine and withdraws, they will receive half their opening round prize money, which is effectively $50,000.

It's official: @AustralianOpen Feb 8-21. More clarity about the first seven weeks of the ATP season after today's announcement from the @atptour 👇https://t.co/F4E8bfrGqJ

— Tennis Majors (@Tennis_Majors) December 17, 2020

There is no certainty yet regarding crowd sizes and ticketing. Australian Open officials are hoping for a capacity of between 25 to 50 per cent. Last year the tournament drew more than 800,000 fans through the fortnight.

The Victorian Government recently gave approval for 30,000 fans per day to attend the Boxing Day Test between Australia and India at the MCG.

Flemington will host 5000 racegoers on Saturday, with plans to increase the number significantly heading towards the summer features at Caulfield in February.