Women’s tennis season to start on Jan 5

Paris: The 2021 WTA season will start in Abu Dhabi on January 5, the governing body of women’s tennis said, as it unveiled an early-season calendar that revolves around the Australian Open.

The season will kick off with the Abu Dhabi WTA Women’s Tennis Open, a WTA 500 level event on January 5-13, while qualifying for the Australian Open will take place in Dubai on January 10-13. Players and their support staff will then travel to Australia where they will complete the mandatory two-week Covid-19 quarantine period.

The Australian Open has already been delayed from its normal January slot and will take place on February 8-21. In the build-up to the tournament in Melbourne, two WTA 500 tournaments will be held concurrently in Melbourne Park on January 31-February 7. WTA chairman Steve Simon has said the early-season events “will operate in an environment that puts health and safety at the forefront”.