Tennis Australia will exhaust most of their A$80 million ($59.01 million) reserves during the Australian Open and may consider a loan to help them recover.
“We also expect that we will use the majority of our reserves in maintaining funding to the sport and playing group,” Tennis Australia chief Craig Tiley told The Australian newspaper.
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“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 and support us in the recovery from the impacts of the pandemic once access to government subsidies have ended.
“We believe that recovery from the pandemic will take up to five years.”
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There Australian Open itself will most likely be delayed from its original schedule of January 18-31, 2021.
Tiley said that the biosecurity arrangements and quarantine operations alone will take up to A$40 million at the year’s first Grand Slam event.
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Australia has made 14-day quarantine mandatory for all international travelers. That will mean taking care of all the players and their entourages for that period of time.
Australia’s quarantine rule has also put the tune-up events to the major in jeopardy. International travelers are not allowed in the country before January 1 and most players believe that a 14-day quarantine without practice is just not feasible in the run up to a major event.
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Tennis Australia is negotiating with the Victorian government to reduce the quarantine period and allow players to train during the time. French newspaper L’Equipe reported on Wednesday that the Australian Open could be pushed back to a February 8-21 window.
