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Australian Open 2021 unclear

Nine would save millions without Tennis in January -but miss a big promo platform.

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The latest event which may be a casualty is the Australian Open -which is a big concern given the event is not due until January 2021.

Questions linger around international players and also crowds

“Worst-case scenario is no AO,” Tennis Australia chief executive Craig Tiley told The Age.

“Our best-case scenario at this point is having an AO with players that we can get in here with quarantining techniques and Australian-only fans.”

Tennis Australia later clarified that they hadn’t conceded that international visitors would be barred from Australian shores.

Not being held in the TV calendar is both a positive and a negative for Nine, which would be looking at a potential $60m saving.

But it also denies them the chance to promote their upcoming titles which has been instrumental for both Seven and Nine.

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  2. I don’t think it’ll go ahead. Not only is the AO made up of so many international players, which won’t be allowed to come to Australia, unless there’s a travel exemption, there will possibly be no crowds!

    What’s the point of having a tournament with only Australian players, if there’s no crowd to watch them play?

  3. As a tennis fan, I can answer this question for you. It’s not up to Tennis Australia or Channel 9 to decide whether if it’s going ahead. The ITF (International Tennis Federation) is the governing body of tennis including the Grand Slam tournaments. This needs to be approved by the ITF.

  4. If the T20 WC and AO won’t go ahead, Nine will save more than $60 million. 9 will have to complete the NRL matches for the 2020 season. However, the NRL has not finalised the matches yet. 9 will still have the Origin to come later this year (albeit it will be in a shorter format).

  5. Tennis may be a non-contact sport but I think its one of the hardest to accomodate COVID-19 because its so international. There are 256 players alone in the mens and womens singles draw plus doubles, qualifying on top of each player’s team/family. It is almost impossible to facilitate adequate quarantine and testing for this many people (at the moment at least). There are also equity issues around only allowing players of some nationalities to enter. Unlike domestic sports, the AO will be dependent on the global situation which sadly does not look promising at this stage.

  7. The Australian Open should definitely be held. If many overseas players cannot make…so what? It has the potential to produce an aussie winner at long last….seems a no brainer to me

  8. I think the AO is very good value, better value than a refund. It might be a loss leader, but its launchpad value is undeniable.

    Being a non-contact, non-team sport would have to be an advantage. They can do their job while social distancing. Even if it was held under current circumstances; the players could entering the country for work purposes, get here 2 weeks early and isolate. The event could arguably go ahead in some form without any special treatment.

  10. Sadly I don’t think it can go ahead. Players usually travel with just their team, how many could afford the charter flights that would be required? And the government would probably be reluctant to provide exemptions for that many flights. So many countries involved….just can’t see it happening. T20 World Cup a bit more of a chance. India test series a greater possibility given it’s just one country. If that can’t happen certainly think a Australia NZ test series could be possible.

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