Crowds are returning to watch the world's top tennis players in actionWikimedia Commons

The 2021 tennis season has finally begun! For most professional tennis players, the season commences with the Australian summer swing, capped by the Australian Open in Melbourne, Victoria – affectionately named ‘The Happy Slam’.

What’s been going on?

The level of organisation that has gone into preparing for the Australian summer over the past two months has been nothing short of astounding. It certainly has not been plain sailing for the CEO of Tennis Australia, Craig Tiley, who has had to deal with the conflicting interests of players, the media, and – most importantly – the Australian government.

“Djokovic’s requests came across more like a set of demands, some of which were completely unfeasible”

Australia have handled the COVID-19 pandemic excellently by going into strict lockdowns for months on end to curb the first wave of infections and any subsequent outbreaks. November and December were essentially COVID-free – schools were open, large gatherings were allowed, and social distancing was a faint memory. In the last two weeks, the state of Victoria has had less than 40 new cases. What is even more impressive is that none of those represent community transmission. All positive case are people who have arrived from overseas and are in quarantine.

Knowing this, it is unsurprising that much of the Australian population and the government were apprehensive about hosting a tournament in which hundreds of people from all around the world would be converging. The tournament, normally held in mid-January, was moved to the 8th of February. Players, flown in on chartered flights, were lodged in hotels to quarantine for 14 days. Most were permitted a few hours of the day to practice, but this small freedom did not apply to everyone. 72 players were on flights where passengers tested positive for COVID-19. These players were subject to the strictest possible quarantine conditions. They were unable to leave their rooms for any reason whatsoever, including training.

Players complained about the strictness of the quarantine, stating the negative impacts of being unable to train properly. Novak Djokovic, in an effort to stand up for his fellow sportspeople, sent a list of requests. His requests were leaked to the public and the World No.1 received a significant amount of backlash. His requests came across more like a set of demands, some of which were completely unfeasible – like giving players private houses with tennis courts. To make matters worse, he was sending this list from a luxury hotel in Adelaide, where he was quarantining, along with 5 other highly ranked male and female players.

This is the context in which we enter the Australian summer, as all the players have now finished their quarantines. These athletes have been cooped up in hotels for two weeks with minimal training, and a minority with no training at all. It will be interesting to see the effect this has had on their fitness and match sharpness. On the bright side, the reward for their sacrifice is the opportunity to play in front of large crowds.

What’s coming up next?

Players finished their quarantine on Friday 29th January, giving them 10 days to prepare for the first grand slam of the calendar year. Six tournaments have been organised to fill this time and ensure players regain some fitness and match experience. All 6 of these tournaments (three men’s and three women’s) are happening simultaneously and in the same location – Melbourne Park. One event that guarantees star-power is the ATP Cup, which has the novelty factor of being a team competition in which players represent their countries. ATP Players ranked in the top ten automatically qualify with the nations they represent. Japan and Australia, the host nation, make it 12.

“One event that guarantees star-power is the ATP Cup, which has the novelty factor of being a team competition in which players represent their countries.”

Looking at the line-up of nations, the eye-catching teams are Spain and Serbia with big-name players like Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic respectively. Serbia are the reigning champions since Djokovic defeated Nadal in the final last year. This year, many are predicting an upset, putting Team Russia as likely winners. Medvedev and Rublev, ranked 4th and 7th respectively are the highest ranked pair of single players in the whole tournament, and they are coming into this competition with excellent form off the back of last year. The ATP Cup is always a visual spectacle and certainly a tournament to watch, either for the team aspect or high stakes – as players’ motivations are not just personal but also patriotic.

Predictions for the Australian open?

Predicting the outcome of Grand Slams in men’s tennis is generally seen as a fairly straightforward task. Federer, recovering from knee surgery, pulled out of the tournament, making this even easier. In any case, Djokovic is the clear favourite to lift the trophy for a record-extending 9th time. Given recent history, it is likely Nadal or Thiem will meet in the final. There is always the possibility of an upset by the third or fourth seeds, Thiem and Medvedev, but it may not be wise to put any money on it.

“The victors of 4 of the last 6 Grand Slams were first-time winners. We are entering an exciting new era of women’s tennis.”

Predicting the women’s game is a significantly more interesting and challenging task. The victors of 4 of the last 6 Grand Slams were first-time winners. We are entering an exciting new era of women’s tennis. Serena Williams continues to play majestic, dominant tennis in search of her 24th Grand slam title to put her level with the record held by Margaret Court. Will this be the Slam that brings it home? She will have to get through a field that includes in-form Naomi Osaka, ranked No.3 in the world, who finished 2020 by lifting the US Open trophy. The home favourite Ashleigh Barty, ranked No.1, will have the support of the Australian crowd to drive her to a second Grand Slam title.


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Mountain View

"Now is the time to unite the men's and women's tours"

The women’s game is so open, that it would be no surprise if anyone in the top 15 won the title. Almost every match from the first round onwards could present an upset. It will certainly make for a riveting tournament.