According to Craig Tiley, CEO of Tennis Australia, the association would get exhausted with most of their reverse funds after staging the Australian Open in the Covid-19 times. Moreover, they would be spending more than 40 million Australian dollars (USD 30 million) on quarantine and biosecurity services for the tournament.
Tennis Australia will be hosting their first Grand Slam since the coronavirus outbreak. The Australian Open is scheduled for January 18-31 in Melbourne Park, Victoria.
Tiley said Tennis Australia currently have monetary reserves of 80 million Australian dollars. Due to 14-days quarantine protocols and limited crowd gatherings, the recovery of money from the pandemic could take up to five years’ time.
In an interview with the Australian newspaper, Tiley said, “We expect that we will use the majority of our reserves in maintaining funding for the sport and playing group. As a result of these costs, we are exploring options for a line of credit and/or a loan which will allow us to maintain cash flow at critical times.”
At present, Tennis Australia is consulting the government about the protocols and mentioned that they would release the protocols “very soon”. Some international tennis stars could miss the Australian Open, if not allowed to practice during the 14 day quarantine period.
As per the French newspaper, L’Equipe’s report, the Australian Open could be postponed to February 8-21 and the players would be allowed to train five hours a day during the quarantine.