Roger, Rafa, Djokovic and Serena commit to play 2021 Australian Open

Roger, Rafa, Djokovic and Serena commit to play 2021 Australian Open
Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Serena Williams

Well, there definitely seems to be some light at the end of the tunnel, which is the year 2020 as 2021 promises to begin with one of the major tennis competitions of the year, The Australian Open.

The favorites of the sport which include Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams have indicated a desire to travel and compete in the Grand Slam but are waiting on a final government sign off before booking their tickets.

Tennis Australia is hopeful that the state governments would grant exemptions that would allow players to practice at courts during their 14-day quarantine on arrival as a part of their roaming bubble.

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On the basis of this, Tennis Australia has set a November 13 deadline in order to plan and arrive at a decision regarding the summer tournament.

New year poses New challenges

Serena Williams, Rafael Nadal & Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic

If Tennis Australia were to announce tomorrow that all players must undergo a 14 day quarantine, the player’s desire to travel is going to change. Hence, TA is considering to completely scrap its multi-city lead-up events and even the ATP Cup, which was played earlier this year across Sydney, Brisbane and Perth.

However, TA can only release a concrete decision and provide clarity based on two conditions;

Firstly, TA needs their quarantining plans to be approved by the state governments and secondly, they need to have some assurances from the government that they would be able to travel freely from state to state.

Currently, everything is 50-50 and within a fortnight, a final decision will be out as these two things are difficult to obtain amidst the pandemic.

With Nadal and Federer on 20 Grand Slams each, Serena keen on breaking Margaret Court’s record and the young and fierce Ash Barty, who would be trying to keep her No.1 ranking intact by the end of the tournament, all we can look forward to is an highly intense and competitive tournament of really impressive tennis at the start of the new year.

Also Read: Novak Djokovic questions the uncertainty regarding Australian Open 2021 Quarantine rules