No fans? "Extensive" contingencies underway for 2021 Australian Open

The ATP and WTA tours are currently suspended until July 13 as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, but Tennis Australia is already beginning “extensive planning” for scenarios where the 2021 Australian Open cannot be staged under traditional conditions.

With the sport's massive reach around the globe, tournament organizers are not downplaying the risk of COVID-19 still being a significant player in its own right come January. In a statement, CEO Craig Tiley, who also runs the first Grand Slam on the tennis calendar at Melbourne Park, spoke about the importance of getting ahead now, when uncertainty will continue to loom in the coming months.

“We have to be prepared for a changed environment. We obviously hope that as a community, we are through COVID-19 as quickly and safely as is possible,” said Tiley. “But we don’t know which of the current measures being used to try and contain the spread of infection will still need to be in place for the medium to long term.”

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Among the potential actions Tiley touched on included imposing strict quarantine guidelines for competitors and competing without spectators. Playing behind closed doors was not considered by the All England Club, who opted to cancel 2020 Wimbledon last week, the first time it won't be held since 1945. The grass-court major took out a pandemic insurance policy in 2003, and it’s understood there is a clause that covers a crisis such as the coronavirus.

Jim Courier was encouraged by Tiley’s approach, advocating that all efforts to bring tennis back in a safe environment is a win for everybody.

“This is good vision by Craig Tiley and his team to be out in front of this. Hopefully this is an exercise they will not need to deploy,” Courier said on Tennis Channel Live. “I would be surprised if the other tournaments aren't thinking through this in the same way. I'm hoping that we can have a lot of sharing of these good ideas and best practices, so we can all benefit from anyone who has a good idea.”

The FFT previously moved Roland Garros from its May-June window back to late September-early October, while the USTA is in the process of converting the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center to a temporary hospital, with Louis Armstrong Stadium operating a commissary.