Tennis Australia says it's continuing to work towards hosting next year's Australian Open in Melbourne, amid reports the tournament could be moved overseas.
The ABC says the prediction that Australia's borders will remain shut until mid-2022, along with an unwillingness from players to serve two weeks quarantine upon arrival, could make it impossible to host the tournament at Melbourne Park.
It notes that players are in bubbles during regular ATP and WTA events, allowing them to train and play without needing to spend time in quarantine.
Doha and Dubai, which this year hosted qualifying for the Australian Open, are named as potential venues should the event be moved.
In a statement, Tennis Australia said it's planning for Melbourne to host next year's tournament.
"Tennis Australia ran AO 2021 successfully in Melbourne in the middle of a pandemic," the statement said.
"We are planning AO 2022 for January and we look forward to having Melbourne again play host to the best players in the world.
"We continue to work with government on the best and safest environment for both fans and players."
This year's tournament, which was delayed from its usual mid-January start date until February, was the first time players had been able to compete in front of crowds on tour since the pandemic began, despite a five-day statewide lockdown mid-tournament.
That came after players had completed two weeks in hotel quarantine, with 72 players forced into a hard lockdown after being exposed to the virus while travelling to Australia. The remainder were allowed out for five hours per day to train.
Next year's Australian Open is just eight weeks after the rescheduled Formula One race in Melbourne, with organisers of that event also planning to bring the race personnel into the country in a bubble, without quarantine.
Under the current F1 schedule, drivers and teams will be racing in Brazil two weeks prior to the Melbourne race, making it impossible to serve 14 days quarantine in Australia.
Australian Grand Prix boss Andrew Westacott recently told Wide World of Sports that he expects the race to go ahead without quarantine.
"The short answer is yes, because if you look at the motorsport calendar for 2020, Formula One and MotoGP were able to operate 31 races across 14 different countries," he said.
"They have a very, very rigorous schedule that won't accommodate separate quarantine periods in every one of the jurisdictions where they race.
"What we've got to do, in consultation with the health authorities, Formula One, and the government, is an arrangement where they will come into a separated bubble, with no interaction with the general public, to be able to operate between the hotel and the circuit only."
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