A third WTA 500 event in Melbourne has been added to the schedule for the week leading up to the Australian Open to provide players with the best possible preparation and training opportunities during the Australian swing.
The Grampians Trophy, for players who have not been able to train during the 14-day quarantine lock, has now been added to the Melbourne Summer Series of events in February and will take place from Wednesday, February 3 through Sunday, February 7. This event has 28 singles players in the main tournament.
The Gippsland Trophy and Yarra Valley Classic, the two events originally scheduled from Sunday, January 31 to Saturday, February 6, will continue with slightly smaller draws. Those events now have 54 singles players in each main tournament, as well as 28 doubles teams each.
After extensive consultation between the players and the WTA and ATP Tours, Tennis Australia has drawn up a new schedule, taking into account the limited time many players have had to prepare.
“This was a particularly challenging time for the athletes in hard lockdown and we, together with the WTA and ATP, are committed to doing everything we can to help,” said Craig Tiley, director of Australian Open Tournament.
“These changes to the run-up events have been made to give the 72 players a little extra time to prepare. We’ll also prioritize them for things like exercise sessions, fitness, and ice baths. “
“This revised schedule, consisting of three WTA 500 events in the week leading up to the upcoming Australian Open, will allow our athletes emerging from the respected quarantine period to focus on preparing for a return to the competition” , said Steve Simon, CEO of WTA.
“We appreciate the positive spirit of collaboration that our friends at Tennis Australia and ATP have shown as these solutions have been developed in recent days. All of our players appreciate the opportunity to be here in Melbourne and look forward to getting out on the court to compete and entertain the great fans who will be here for the next few weeks with great tennis in a very safe and healthy environment. “