South Australia state Premier Steven Marshall said on Monday that Adelaide will host two tournaments, including the Adelaide International, in the lead-up to the Australian Open in January next year. The Adelaide International was supposed to be a warm-up for the Grand Slam in 2020, but once the players were released from quarantine, all of the warm-ups for the Australian Open were held at Melbourne Park.
The build-up to next year's Grand Slam appears to be returning to normal. The first event, a WTA 500 and ATP 250 combined tournament will take place from January 2 to 9, with a second event, a WTA 250 and ATP 250, set for the following week at the newly refurbished Memorial Drive Tennis Centre. Next month, the playing fields for both events will be revealed.
"Our investment of A$44 million ($31.89 million) for Stage Two of the Memorial Drive redevelopment is creating a world-class venue capable of hosting not just tennis but a range of sporting and entertainment events into the future," said Marshall.
"South Australia has done so incredibly well throughout the Covid-19 pandemic and it's our willingness to listen to the health advice that means we're able to hold events like this one in January." Organizers declared last week that players who have not been vaccinated against Covid-19 will be prohibited from participating in the Australia Open.
According to ATP sources, in addition to the $10 million ATP Cup men's team tournament in Sydney, there will be four warm-up events in Australia leading up to the major. After group matches in Brisbane and Perth, the knockout rounds were staged in Sydney in the event's maiden year in 2020. Some state borders that were closed to limit the spread of Covid-19 are reopening as vaccination rates climb, but Western Australia and Queensland have maintained access restrictions, making warm-up matches in Perth and Brisbane doubtful in January.