A third WTA 500 event in Melbourne has been added to the schedule for the week before the Australian Open, to give players the best possible preparation and training opportunities during the Australian swing.
The Grampians Trophy, for the players who were unable to practice during the 14-day exclusion of quarantine, was now added to the Melbourne Summer Series events during February and takes place from Wednesday 3 February to Sunday 7 February. This event will feature 28 singles players.
The Gippsland Trophy and the Yarra Valley Classic, the two events originally scheduled for Sunday, January 31st to Saturday, February 6th, will continue with a slightly reduced draw size. These events now have 54 singles in each major draw, as well as 28 doubles teams each.
After extensive consultation between the players and the WTA and ATP Tours, Tennis Australia has designed a new schedule, taking into account the limited time many players had to prepare.
“It has been a particularly challenging time for the Athletes in Hard Exclusion, and we, along with the WTA and ATP, intend to do everything in our power to help,” said Craig Tiley, Director of the Australian Open. tournament, said.
“These changes to the run-up events were made to give the 72 players a little extra time to prepare. We will also prioritize them for things like workouts, gyms and ice baths. ”
“This revised schedule, which consists of three WTA 500 events in the week leading up to the upcoming Australian Open, will allow our athletes to concentrate from the respected quarantine period to concentrate properly on their preparation in the return. after competition, “said WTA CEO Steve Simon.
‘We appreciate the positive spirit of cooperation shown by friends of Tennis Australia and the ATP as these solutions have been worked through over the past few days. All our players appreciate the opportunity to be here in Melbourne and look forward to getting on the track to entertain and entertain the fantastic fans who are here with amazing tennis over the coming weeks in a very safe and healthy environment. ”