The start date of the main draw of the tournament was originally slated for Jan. 18 and Tennis Australia have been locked in drawn-out negotiations with local government over COVID-19 health security measures.This year's Wimbledon tournament was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, while the U.S. and French Opens went ahead with the players confined to bio-secure 'bubbles', unable to leave their hotel rooms except to train and play.
The ATP said men's qualifying for the year's first Grand Slam would take place in Doha from Jan. 10-13 before players relocate to Melbourne to enter quarantine for two weeks. The ATP tournament scheduled to take place in Adelaide has been moved to Melbourne to be played in the week commencing Jan. 31 alongside another men's warm-up tournament in the city.
The ATP season will now open with tournaments in Delray Beach, Florida and Antalya in Turkey from Jan. 5-13 before preparations for the trip to Melbourne Park begin.