It’s finally official! The Australian Open will take place in February for the first time in history. The Tennis Australia CEO Craig Tiley made the announcement that they have managed to organize the first slam of the year during these challenging times.
Tiley and his organization have done wonders to organize this event and they want to give the best possible experience for everyone. As already leaked, Melbourne and Victoria will become the center of the tennis Australian summer with other lead-up events preceding the slam. It was confirmed that players will be quarantined for 2 weeks and they can train during this period.
In the first week, the players can practice only with another designated player. In the second week, they can be joined by another couple of players.
It was confirmed that there will be people attending the event with proper social distancing. The aim is to have a crowd that will fill 50% of the premises. However, the situation will be obviously fluid.
The qualifications will be played in Dubai (women) and in Doha (men) from the 10th of January.
The prize money
The prize money for the Australian Open will be the same as last year. They are going to give $100,000 to the players losing in the first round with a 15% increase compared to last year. Details about the breakdown will be provided later.
All competitions will be played with the exceptions of the juniors.
About Roger Federer
Tiley gave an updated about Roger Federer’s situation. The Swiss champion has just started his normal preparation in Dubai and he will play the first slam of the year if his body will allow him. Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Dominic Thiem and Stefanos Tsitsipas will probably be the top favorites to win the event.
Novak Djokovic in 2020
Now the world no.1, the Serbian played his last match on the 21st of November when he capitulated to Dominic Thiem 7-5 6-710 7-65 in the semifinal in the Nitto ATP Finals (draw).
During this season the Serbian has managed to achieve a compiled 41-5 record. The Serbian clinched 4 titles in 2020 at the Australian Open, in Dubai, in New York and in Rome. The Serbian got to the final at the French Open.
Rafael Nadal in 2020
At the moment ranked no.2, Rafael played his last match on the 21st of November when he lost to Daniil Medvedev 3-6 7-64 6-3 in the semifinal in the Nitto ATP Finals (draw).
This year the Spaniard has 27-7 record. Nadal conquered 2 titles in 2020 in Acapulco and at the French Open.
Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal fought against each other 56 times. Their current head to head is 29-27 for Djokovic. The last time they played, Rafael Nadal won 6-0 6-2 7-5 in the final in Paris (French Open) on the 11th of October 2020.
In the following video you can watch the key moments of their match.
Dominic Thiem in 2020
Currently ranked no.3 (career-high), Dominic played his last match on the 22nd of November when he surrendered to Daniil Medvedev 4-6 7-62 6-4 in the final in the Nitto ATP Finals (draw).
Currently, during this season Dominic has a 25-9 win-loss record. Dominic conquered 1 title at the U.S. Open. The Austrian was the finalist at the Australian Open and the ATP Finals.
Stefanos Tsitsipas in 2020
Now ranked no.6, Stefanos played his last match on the 19th of November when he was overcome by Rafael Nadal 6-4 4-6 6-2 in the round robin in the Nitto ATP Finals (draw).
During this season the Greek has a 27-14 record. The Greek clinched 1 title in Marseille. Tsitsipas was the runner-up in Dubai and in Hamburg.
Dominic Thiem and Stefanos Tsitsipas played each other 8 times. The head to head is 5-3 for Thiem. The last time they competed against each other, Dominic Thiem won 7-65 4-6 6-3 in the round robin in London (Nitto ATP Finals) on the 15th of November 2020.
In the following video you can watch the highlights.
