Australian Open chief Craig Tiley said
on Saturday that the Australian Open will be starting next year with a
three-week delay where players will compete for Aus$71 million ($54 millionUSD) and must
go through quarantine, AFP reported.

Singles, double and wheelchair competitions
have all been decided to be played as usual after eight months of talks between
Tennis Australia and state authorities in Melbourne.

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“This will be an historic
Australian Open on so many levels,” AFP quoted Tournament Director Tiley as
saying when confirming the February 8-21 dates announced by ATP Tour in the
previous week.

The tournament, while originally scheduled
on January 18, will see players arrive starting January 15 to serve two weeks
of mandatory quarantine in a bio-secure bubble, necessitated due to many
players travelling from countries where the pandemic is still raging.

“For the first time in more than
100 years, the Australian Open will start in February and we look forward to
offering the players what we believe will be one of their best playing
experiences in 2021”, Tiley further said.

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While the players are expected to stay
in designated hotels, for up to five hours a day they will be allowed to practise
and exercise and further will be shuttled between their accommodation and
Melbourne Park.

Melbourne emerged in October from a month-long
COVID-19 induced lockdown after a second wave, complicating the planning for
the Grand Slam and managing logistics to safely permit a substantial number of
players and support staff into the country.