Tennis fans all over the world are looking forward to any tennis news they can get this year, waiting to see if the tennis events will still take place. Eager to use the tennis latest odds to their advantage, fans are waiting to see if the Australian Open will still take place. Craig Tiley, the Tennis Australia chief executive, and Australian Open director talked about how preparations are being made for the Australian Open event for next year. Apparently, the tournament is scheduled to take place in Melbourne.
Due to coronavirus concerns, though, there is a possibility that the Australian open may be canceled, or so Tiley says. This upset many tennis fans, even though the situation remains unclear still.
Preparations are Being Made
There have been many changes to the tennis tournament schedule due to the coronavirus. While Wimbledon has been canceled for 2020, there are other tournaments like the ATP and WTA that are suspended until at least the middle of July. Meanwhile, since things are uncertain right now and it’s hard to know what to do with the U.S. Open and Roland Garros events, the French Open has been suspended until September too.
According to Tiley, though, officials are getting ready for multiple outcomes. So, whether the event will still take place or not, preparations are being made. He has confidence in the fact that the Australian Open may be held in January.
“It’s very uncertain times as we all know well. We are preparing for multiple futures. We don’t know what January will bring,” Tiley said to Channel Nine’s Wide World of Sports. “At this point today, we are preparing for an Australian Open, with finding a way to get our 500 internationals into Australia. At the same time, hopefully, we have fans. Likely, at least it will be Australia-New Zealand fans in the first instance.”
According to Tiley, while there are seven months left until then, there are certain preparations for different possible outcomes. As such, in case COVID-19 is still making victims by then, then it may be held with no crowds, with only the tennis players being present during the tennis tournaments.
“Seven months is a long time away but we are planning for an Australian Open. We also have to plan for the scenario of players only and no crowds, and also the possibility of moving it or not having it at all. We are planning an Australian Open with all the players and with Australian, and likely, New Zealand crowds as a starting point,” he added. “We’ll have some guidelines for social distancing.”
The COVID-19 Situation
The new coronavirus has affected more than four million cases all over the world. In Australia, there have been 97 deaths caused by the virus, while thousands of people have been infected. As such, it’s hard to say now what is going to happen to tennis tournaments.
Final Thoughts
If you want to wager on tennis, you will have to wait and see if events such as the Australian Open will still take place. It all depends on whether the virus can be handled properly until the time comes.
