There is an increasing chance that the start of the Australian Open, the first grand slam tournament of the year, will be delayed by one or two weeks.
The sports minister of the state of Victoria called that option on Wednesday “most likely”. The tennis tournament in Melbourne is suffering from corona measures.
The organizers and the government of Victoria have been talking for weeks about the conditions under which tennis can be played.
The original date when the Australian Open starts is January 18. “But there are several dates on the table,” said Victoria’s sports minister Martin Pakula.
“I think a move of one or two weeks is most likely, but it’s not the only option. As you know, Roland Garros was postponed by a few months, and Wimbledon was even cancelled.”
Prime Minister Dan Andrews kept his spirits up: The Australian Open is coming, but it will be different. The rest of the world is on fire, so there will be a quarantine obligation for everyone who comes to our state.
As important as this tournament is, we are not going to jeopardize our current corona status.