Tennis Australia CEO Craig Tiley said that the "option of cancelling" the '21 Australian Open is "still on the table." With complex negotiations between the Victorian State Government and the ATP and WTA "continuing to drag on, the possibility of the Grand Slam event not going ahead remains in play." Tiley on Tuesday said that there were "'lots of options' on the table and one of them was that no tournament takes place." Tiley had spent the morning "locked in talks with the ATP and WTA as they try to find common ground regarding the strict quarantine requirements for players in Melbourne" (HERALD SUN, 12/1).
Meanwhile, Tennis Australia’s '20 financial accounts "showed the organisation’s surplus for the year to June 30 almost halving" to A$5.4M ($4.0M) compared to a A$10.7M ($7.9M) profit in '19. The result, encompassing the '20 Australian Open and the first season of the ATP Cup, came "despite revenue surging to a record" A$455M ($335M). Tennis Australia’s accounts "reveal the governing body to be in rude financial health," with net assets of about A$102M ($75M) that includes A$80M ($59M) in reserves. But TA is looking at a A$100M ($74M) "financial blow" this summer and "could borrow tens of millions of dollars to pay for biosecurity measures that it hopes will ensure the Australian Open goes ahead" (THE AUSTRALIAN, 12/1).
