Tennis Australia has decided to shift all Australian tennis tournaments in the lead up to the Australian Open to Melbourne for the 2021 season.
Such a move was first made by the United States Tennis Association, which transferred the Cincinnati Masters from Cincinnati to New York in August 2020 due to COVID-19.
As decided, all the Australian tournaments the preparation tournaments for the Australian Open of 2021 will not be held in their respective cities but rather in Melbourne where a ‘bubble’ will be created for the athletes.
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Participants must arrive in Australia two weeks before the games and will quarantine in Melbourne, but will be able to train.
The Adelaide, Auckland, Hobart and Brisbane tournaments have already announced that they will not be held in their cities.
Stefanos Tsitsipas and Maria Sakkari are both set to play in the Australian Open and will also play in some of the preceding tournaments.
Despite the news to move, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said these plans are not yet set in stone, even though the announcements have been made by the tennis governing body.
The 2021 Australian Open will be held from Monday 18 January to Sunday 31 January.
