The Australian Tennis Open will be “very likely” postponed for two weeks, authorities said Wednesday, while negotiations continue on the holding of the tournament in Melbourne, a city that has just emerged from strict confinement due to the coronavirus.
The delay of one or two weeks to the first Grand Slam of the year, which was scheduled to start on January 18, is now “more likely,” said Martin Pakula, Victoria’s state sports minister.
“I still think it is very likely that it is a short postponement rather than a long one,” he said.
For eight months, Australia has been virtually isolated from the world, continuing to ban non-residents from entering the country while authorities advise nationals not to travel abroad.
The head of the Australian Open, Craig Tiley, initially wanted tennis players to start arriving in the country in mid-December in order to fulfill the mandatory 14-day quarantine before starting training for the tournament.
But the Prime Minister of the State, Dan Andrews, dismissed the plan, assuring that he will not allow the players to arrive before January. Whether the tennis players will be able to train or compete during quarantine is still being discussed.
Grand Slam winner Andy Murray asked players to get vaccinated against COVID-19 as soon as the vaccine is available.
“I hope every player is willing to do it for the good of the sport – as long as it’s safe, clinical trials and all have been done and there are no significant side effects,” Murray said.
The winner of 20 Grand Slam, the Spanish Rafael Nadal said that it is an unprecedented situation so he asked the players for patience.
“It’s very difficult for everyone,” he said at the London Masters last week.
We need to be flexible to understand the situation and find a way to play the largest number of tournaments next year, “he added.
al / dh / af / zm
