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Players required to travel 3 weeks ahead of Australian Open


Players competing at the Australian Open will need to travel to Australia three weeks in advance in order to spend a fortnight in quarantine and take part in warm-up tournaments under plans revealed on Saturday. 

As announced earlier this week, the first Grand Slam of 2021 will begin in Melbourne on February 8, but players must arrive in Australia by mid-January to clear quarantine amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Players will stay in a selected list of hotels and will be permitted to train during their isolation, with a bio-secure environment allowing players to travel between their hotel and the practice courts.

Those taking part will be split into cohorts, with one designated practice partner during the first week and an increased group size in the second.

Tournament director Clive Tiley said: “We would not be in a position to run the Australian Open if players had to stay in their hotel room for two weeks.

“The players would not be prepared and we would not get the field of play that we are anticipating, so this is a modified environment.

“After the first week, we increase the size of the cohort by a couple more so it gives them a chance to hit with someone a bit different and be fully prepared.”

Tiley announced that charter flights would be arranged for players on January 15 and 16 and that there would be a “high level of security” around the quarantine arrangements to ensure the safety of those taking part.

Since the announcement, the WTA has announced two WTA 500 events to be staged at Melbourne Park from 31 January to 7 February as pre-cursors to the Australian Open, whilst the ATP have opted to move the Adelaide International to the city as well as hosting a separate ATP 250 Tournament.


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Tim Farthing, Tennishead Editorial Director & Owner, has been a huge tennis fan his whole life. He's a tennis journalist and entrepreneur as well as playing tennis to a national standard. He also helps manage his local club and volunteers for his local tennis organisation. He's a specialist in content about the administration of professional tennis and tennis coaching for all levels.