A third WTA 500 event in Melbourne has been added to last week’s schedule at the Australian Open, to give players the best possible preparation and training opportunities during the Australian swing.
The Grampians Trophy, for those players who have not been able to train during the 14-day quarantine closing, has now been added to the Melbourne Summer series of events during the month of February and will take place from Wednesday 3 to Sunday 7 of February. This event will feature 28 major individual players.
The Gippsland Trophy and the Yarra Valley Classic, the two events initially scheduled for Sunday, Jan. 31 to Saturday, Feb. 6, will continue with a slightly reduced raffle size. These events will now feature 54 individual players in each main draw, in addition to 28 doubles teams.
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 have had to prepare.
“This has been a particularly challenging time for athletes with strong blockages and, along with the WTA and ATP, we aim to do everything we can to help,” said Craig Tiley, director of the Australian Open tournament.
“These changes in the introductory events have been made to give the 72 players some extra time to help them prepare. We will also prioritize them for workouts, gym sessions and ice baths.”
“This revised schedule consisting of three WTA 500 events the week before the next Australian Open will allow our athletes leaving the respective quarantine period to properly focus on their preparation to return to competition,” the councilor said. WTA Delegate Steve Simon.
“We are grateful for the positive spirit of collaboration shown by our friends from Tennis Australia and the ATP, as these solutions have been worked on in recent days. All of our players appreciate the opportunity to be here in Melbourne and look forward to getting on the court to compete and entertain the fantastic fans who are here with great tennis for the next few weeks in a very safe and healthy environment. ”