The Australian Open and all the regular interstate leadup tournaments for the season's first tennis major will be staged in Melbourne in January in a bid to minimize risks for players travelling and quarantining during the COVID-19 pandemic. Tennis Australia will transfer the tournaments from Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide and Hobart to Melbourne, where a quarantine and practice hub and a bio-secure playing hub will be set up for the sport's elite players. Tennis Australia said logistics, including draw sizes and scheduling, were being worked through for the weeks ahead of the Australian Open, which is due to start Jan. 18. "It's really important for us to protect the Australian Open — it generates 90% of our revenue and funds our sport," in Australia, Handley said. Australian Open organizers are hoping the Victoria state government will allow spectators at Melbourne Park for the Australian Open.

Source: CBC News November 16, 2020 00:11 UTC