The ATP confirmed on Thursday the updated schedule for the start of the new tennis season, which includes the postponement of the Australian Open, which will now start 3 weeks later than planned. The ATP has published the first seven weeks' matches during which the annual ATP 250 event in Maharashtra will not be held as scheduled.The Australian Open was due to start on January 18, but a 3-week delay will allow players to arrive in Melbourne and self-quarantine and prepare for the ATP 250 and ATP Cup events in the lead up to the start scheduled for January 8. February.The ATP season 2021 will begin with the Delray Beach Open, ATP 250 event and another hard court event licensed for one year in Antalya, Turkey from January 5-13. The event will then move to Doha, where the Australian Open qualifiers will be held. It was held from January 10 to 13 before players headed to Melbourne for quarantine.“The Australian Open Men's Qualifiers will be held from January 10-13 in Doha, and specific dates from January 15 to 31 will allow travel and a 14-day quarantine period for all players and support personnel to travel to Melbourne as per the requirements of Australian immigration and public health authorities.The ATP said: “The controlled quarantine period will allow players to prepare before the 12-team ATP Cup in Melbourne, which is being played alongside the international moved Adelaide, as well as the additional ATP 250 tournament, which is all being held. In Melbourne." Also Read: World TeamTennis to Allow up to 500 Fans at MatchesNovak Djokovic will start her title retention in Melbourne, while Sofia Kenin will also strive to defend her title. It's a big boost for Roger Federer, as the great Swiss expected a delay, considering he was racing against time to recover from knee problems.Australian Open authorities expect 25 to 30 percent of the usual crowds to attend the first major tournament of the season in Melbourne, but with the Covid-19 situation in the country under control, chances are it will be. Allow more viewers.Meanwhile, it has been confirmed that as many as 3 ATP 250 events did not occur in 2021 due to the pandemic. They include the ASB Classic (Auckland) and the New York Open, while the Tata Maharashtra Open (Pune) cannot be shown in its scheduled week in February.Updated ATP 2021 calendar - first 7 weeksDatesLocationTournament5-13 Jan.Delray BeachDelray Beach Open5-13 Jan.AntalyaAntalya Open10-13 Jan.DohaAustralian Open Qualifying31 Jan.- 6 FebMelbourneMelbourne 1 (Adelaide Relocation)31 Jan- 6 FebMelbourneMelbourne 21-5 Feb.MelbourneATP Cup8-21 Feb.MelbourneAustralian Open Also Read: Check out five significant types of swimming styles!
We are only three weeks away from the Australian Open 2021 and his craze has reached its climax. Fans are eagerly waiting for their stars to return to the field as soon as possible, having had to give up tennis for most of 2020. The tournament will take place from February 8, 2021, to February 21, 2021, in Melbourne, Australia.Although Roger Federer has withdrawn from the tournament, there are several other major players who will capture the attention of the fans. Defending champion Novak Djokovic and world number two Rafael Nadal will start as the first and second seed. US Open 2020 winner Dominic Tim, Daniel Medvedev, and Stephanos Tsitsipas will be other players to watch at Grand Slam.When it comes to the WTA tournaments, world number one Ashley Barty will return to the Grand Slam tournament. Naomi Osaka and defending champion Sofia Kenin are other strong contenders for the title. Nevertheless, all eyes will be on the 2020 French Open winner Ija Soyatek and Arena Sabalenka, who record a colossal winning streak.As is often the case, one of the most anticipated questions is: Can Serena Williams lift her 24th Grand Slam title in Melbourne this year?Where can fans enjoy the live-action of the Australian Open 2021?Nine Network is the official broadcasting organization for Grand Slam in Australia after claiming the rights in 2020 for five years. Fans in Australia will be able to watch the action live on Nine Network.In Europe, Eurosport is the exclusive Grand Slam live announcer. Apart from that, SRG (Swiss Broadcasting Corporation) will broadcast the championship in Switzerland, NOS (Nederlandse Omroep Stichting) in the Netherlands, and RTS (Radio Serbia TV) in Serbia.The tennis channel, ESPN 2 and ESPN 3 will broadcast the matches live in the USA.In China, the national CCTV station together with Shanghai TV and Beijing TV will present the event live for the fans. In India, fans will receive live updates on the Sony SIX network, while in Japan, the Australian Open 2021 will be broadcast live on NHK and the pay-TV network WOWOW.Fans all over the world will be able to watch the competition of their favorite players live.Also Read: Australian Open 2021 to Issue Hefty Fine for Protocols Breach
Following the schedule, the Australian Open 2021 will begin on February 8, 2021. However, clouds of uncertainty still hang around the Grand Slam.The coronavirus epidemic is not over yet and it could become a major obstacle for the elderly. The effect is that the pandemic has the potential to cancel the Grand Slam.Two crew members tested positive before the Australian Open 2021Two crew members onboard tennis trips have recently tested positive for COVID-19. This is a major concern as there is a possibility that they may have infected other passengers.According to some reports, management required about 50 players to remain under strict quarantine until further orders. This is also very annoying for players as they will not be able to train outside until the following instructions arrive.In such a scenario, it's really hard for Tennis Australia to organize the event as scheduled. However, Craig Tiley, Tennis Australia's CEO, has more to say about it.Although two crew members have contracted the virus, Tilly said management will stick to the planned date without any delay or cancellation. He noted that it was unfortunate that two people had tested positive, but he also revealed that there were 643 other tests that came back negative.“Ticket sales have gone well, we have two weeks of great tennis and we definitely intend to continue with those appointments. So far, we have had 643 negative tests and two, unfortunately, they have been positive,” Tilly said.From Tiley's words, it looks absolutely certain that the Australian Open 2021 will take place in its regular schedule. However, there are still three weeks left before Grand Slam. Even though Tiley appears assertive in her position, she will have to change something in her plans if more positive situations arise in the future.As of now, the Australian Open 2021 is underway and will be held from February 8, 2021, to February 21, 2021. It will be the first major tournament of the year, so fans are very excited about it. . They definitely hope it won't be canceled so they can see their favorite stars live soon.Also Read: Novak Djokovic is rejuvenating with his family before the Australian Open 2021
Rafael Nadal is currently preparing for the 2021 season by participating in the ATP Cup, and the Spaniard was expected to oversee the pitch in his first match against Australian Alex de Minor, but the 34-year-old withdrew from the match due to a back injury. There is more bad news in this regard.Rafael Nadal will not play his second game against Stefanos TsitsipasFans were very disappointed in Rafael Nadal's absence against Alex de Minor. We will have to wait another day to get close, but the Spanish team is now facing more negativity as the tournament progresses.Spain comfortably overtook Australia in their first match, but once again struggled with a squad shortage as they faced a promising Greek side led by Stefanos Tsitsipas. The main event in this confrontation was the showdown between Tsitsipas and Rafael Nadal, but the match appears to be off the table.A back injury has been worrying Rafael Nadal for some time and preventing him from playing professional matches. It has been confirmed that Rafael Nadal will not play against Greece and that is a problem.Roberto Bautista Agut replaced Rafael Nadal against Australia, and it is expected that he will also face the challenge from Tsitsipas.While Spain has their support, tennis fans will be disappointed that the second-ranked player in the world is no longer in good shape ahead of the Australian Open 2021.“I'm not good enough to play tomorrow” - Rafael NadalThis is not the perfect start for Rafael Nadal until 2021. He had two good matches in the group stage of the ATP Cup 2021 but had to answer them from the bench.The Spaniard should not be disappointed with this back injury, it is just the beginning of a new season. There is still a lot to come, but the 34-year-old declared his inability to participate in the ATP Cup with a disappointing message. "I'm not good enough to play tomorrow," Rafael Nadal said.However, if Spain can defeat Greece, Rafael Nadal can return and help his country in the ATP Cup semi-finals. It all depends on how Spain plays against Greece in their next match.Also Read: Tennis in 2019 Rafael Nadal on top as new faces make mark in women's game