Roger Federer & Rafael Nadal to have a say in Australian Open arrangements as organizers await ATP approval
The list of quarantine protocols for the Australian Open this year was recently sent to the players by Tennis Australia, along with the revised schedule. However, the changes will need to be approved by the ATP and WTA before they can be confirmed. And that brings into the picture Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and other members of the ATP Player Council, along with members of the ATP Tour Board (as well as their WTA counterparts).
As per latest reports, the Australian Open is likely to be pushed back by three weeks and begin on 8 February, with players arriving in Melbourne between 15 to 17 January. All players and members of their support staff will then need to remain in quarantine till 1 February in a hotel room, during which they will be able to leave only for five hours a day.
Besides Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, the ATP Player Council also includes Kevin Anderson, Felix Auger-Aliassime, John Millman, Yen-Hsun Lu, Jeremy Chardy, Jurgen Melzer, Bruno Soares, Andy Murray, Brad Stine and Colin Dowdeswell. All of these players - but most importantly Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, given the influence they wield - will have a big say in whether the Australian Open goes ahead as per Tennis Australia's plans.
The ATP Tour Board has three player representatives - David Egdes, Alex Inglot & Mark Knowles - and three Tournament Representatives - Gavin Forbes, Charles Smith and Herwig Straka. Andrea Gaudenzi is the Chairman of the Board, and his opinion on the revised dates and quarantine rules will hold considerable weight too.
If the Australian Open does go ahead on 8 February as planned, several ATP and WTA tournaments will be impacted. That is not a small matter either, as the tournaments are desperately looking for big name participation amid the financially crippling COVID-19 pandemic.
Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal will both be aiming to win Grand Slam #21 at the Australian Open
Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are tied at 20 Grand Slams currently - the most in men's tennis history. Both players will be aiming to win their 21st Grand Slam title and take sole possession of the record in Australia.
Roger Federer has not played since the 2020 Australian Open due to a knee injury, for which he underwent surgery twice - one in February and the other in June. The Swiss legend plans to return to the circuit in time for the Australian summer, although it is not known if the quarantine rules in Australia will impact his schedule.
Rafael Nadal meanwhile won his 20th Grand Slam title at the French Open in Paris earlier this year. He will now be aiming to become the first male player to win each of the four Grand Slams at least twice in their career.
Notably, Rafael Nadal skipped the US Open this year because he found the travel and safety arrangements too complicated. It remains to be seen how he responds to the arrangements that have been set out by Tennis Australia for the Melbourne Slam.