Legend admits Australian Open delay possible

Australian tennis nice Todd Woodbridge has conceded that suspending the 2021 Australian Open is feasible after Tennis Australia was pressured to delay juniors occasions.

Event organisers and the Victorian authorities are aiming to finalise the timing for Melbourne’s Grand Slam match inside 72 hours, however the juniors have already paid the value for the COVID-19 pandemic.

Australian Open boss Craig Tilley and Australian Open juniors match director Francis Soyer notified gamers of the postponement in a letter on Saturday.

After Tennis Australia was rocked by revelations that the Victorian authorities would stop gamers arriving in Melboune previous to January, Woodbridge admitted that transferring the match remained a risk.

“I do not assume that is an end result we might be wanting,” Woodbridge informed the ABC.

“However stranger issues have occurred in 2020, have not they? Roland Garros – being performed in September as a substitute of Could, even within the golf world the [US] Masters lately simply completed per week in the past and naturally that is performed in April usually.

“These are all issues that sooner or later you’ll have mentioned ‘no, that is not attainable’.

“[But] financially, to maintain these occasions, you’ll be able to’t lose a 12 months. There’s a lot at stake.”

Whereas he was open to the match being delayed, Woodbridge conceded that it was unlikely the showpiece occasion could be performed away from Melbourne Park.

“I feel that might be hard-pressed now given the timeframe to be sincere with you,” he mentioned.

“The factor we now have is that the dimensions of the occasion when it comes to the attracts and so forth [and] the services required … Melbourne Park is the right place to have the ability to do this.

“The early a part of subsequent 12 months, 2021 – the entire tennis calendars are wanting shaky at this level.

“All of these discussions are ongoing too, between Tennis Australia, the lads’s tour, the ladies’s tour and the Worldwide Tennis Federation about attempting to work out what’s finest.”