Australian Open facing postponement

For the Australian Open, a postponement of one to two weeks is becoming increasingly apparent. Originally, the Grand Slam tournament was to start on January 18.

For the Australian Open, a postponement of one to two weeks is becoming more and more apparent.

Such a schedule is now “highly likely”, said Martin Pakula, Minister of Sport of the State of Victoria. Originally, the Grand Slam tournament was to start on January 18 in Melbourne.

“I still think it is much more likely that there will be a shorter than a longer delay,” Pakula said after “very complex negotiations. He remained confident that the tournament could start early this year.

Due to the corona crisis, Australia has been virtually cut off from the rest of the world for almost eight months now. It is questionable how the quarantine regulation for participants will now be handled.

Craig Tiley, head of the Australian Open, had originally suggested that the players should stay in Australia from mid-December. However, this plan was rejected by the state of Victoria.