Sydney to host ATP Cup as part of bumper Australian Open warm-up schedule
MELBOURNE : Sydney will host the US$10 million ATP Cup from
Jan. 1-9 as part of a bumper schedule of warm-up tournaments ahead of the
Australian Open, organisers said on Thursday.
Governing body Tennis Australia (TA) also confirmed
Melbourne would host Australian Open qualifying from Jan. 10-14 after 2021
qualifying was played abroad due to COVID-19.
TA boss Craig Tiley said a record 17 tournaments would be
staged in Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia states in the lead up
to the Jan. 17-30 Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the year.
"It’s incredibly important to have the world’s best
players competing across the country, inspiring the next generation of players,
and growing interest and excitement in our sport,” Tiley said in a statement.
After the ATP Cup, Australia's largest city will host the one-off "Sydney Tennis Classic", featuring a WTA 500 event and an ATP 250 tournament.
Adelaide will host four men's and women's tournaments
back-to-back from Jan. 2-15 while Melbourne Park, the Australian Open venue,
will stage another three tournaments from Jan. 3-9.
Russia cruised to victory in February in the last truncated
edition of the ATP Cup, which was played in front of small, capped crowds at
Melbourne Park due to COVID-19 restrictions.
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