The Australian Open has been formally announced to start on February 8 as the ATP confirm their schedule for the start of the 2021 season.
Uncertainty had remained over the scheduled first grand slam of 2021 as tournament organisers deal with ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
The tournament was scheduled to begin on January 18, however, it has been confirmed that players will be forced to quarantine for 14 days on their arrival to Australia.
During this period, players will be forced to undergo several COVID tests, limited to just five hours outside of their hotel isolation for training and exercise.
This has forced a major change to the tennis schedule for 2021, with the ATP confirming that they will host qualifying for the grand slam in Doha, Qatar from January 10-13, with players expected to then travel to Australia and serve their isolation period until the end of the month.
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Following this, there will be a number of tournaments hosted in Melbourne for the start of February, headlined by a 12-team ATP Cup.
This will run alongside two ATP 250 tournaments, with the Adelaide International moved to Victoria ahead of the Australian Open, which is set to run from February 8-21.
The WTA will also run similar WTA 500 tournaments in Melbourne during this period, headlined by the impending return of world number one Ash Barty.
Along with this, they have committed to a WTA 250 event during the second week of the grand slam.
New: first seven weeks of the 2021 ATP calendar. pic.twitter.com/dxRZBfOA8x
— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) December 17, 2020
The WTA announces the start of 2021 Tour season, which kicks off with the Abu Dhabi WTA Women’s Tennis Open --> https://t.co/JeLyxmt6n6 pic.twitter.com/jDVGLM1n5K
— wta (@WTA) December 19, 2020
This was later confirmed by the Victorian Government, who announced that the event will stay at Melbourne Park until 2039.
“Melbourne is the home of the biggest sporting events and it’s fantastic that arrangements have been settled for Melbourne Park in February," Acting Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events Jaclyn Symes said in a statement.
“The 2021 Open will look a bit different and that’s necessary to ensure the safety of everyone, from players, ballkids and the wider community.”