The 2022 edition of the Australian Open will be played in Melbourne says tournament chief Tiley refuting rumours of a potential move.
The 2021 Australian Open faced backlash over its rigorous rules related to the pandemic and rumours started circulating that the event might be moved overseas due to the strict quarantine rules. There have been several vocal opponents of the strict rules enforced at the Australian Open and several players also spoke about the double standards that were present.
So rumours started circulating that the event might be moved overseas in order to avoid the strict quarantine rules that will be present in 2022 as well. Tournament chief Craig Tiley came out to refute the rumours expressing his confidence in the event being in Melbourne as always. Tiley said:
“We’re going to be here in Melbourne, we are going to make it work, it’s going to be in January. We’re going to find a way to get the players here who are currently travelling the world in a bubble."
Tiley did acknowledge some difficulty with organising the event saying:
“We are the only country where quarantine is required. We’ve got a find a way to manage that and we will."
Tiley further commented:
“There’s lots of speculation about 2022, and it’s the same journey we are going to go on. It’s going to be a ride. But the one positive thing is that we at least have a path because we have done it once.”