'It's tough': Alison Bai fears for fringe players on World Tour return

The WTA Tour is scheduled to resume in Italy on August 3, with the men's circuit to start the following week with the Citi Open in Washington DC.

Tennis Australia has launched a series of domestic tournaments with $450,000 in prizemoney to give players some much-needed game time leading up to the tours' resumption.

The first three events of the series took place in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne last week, but Bai didn't compete and remained in Canberra.

The 30-year-old has elderly family members and is worried about travelling interstate amid the pandemic, especially considering Melbourne's recent spike in coronavirus cases.

So she'll instead narrow her focus to the tour's expected return in August, with the Australian swing scheduled to start the following month.

"I've been monitoring what's happening with the normal tour, I'm trying to focus on that," Bai said.

"The Australian circuit will hopefully start in September so that's what I've set my goals on. It gives me at least a good six weeks to train and get back into it properly, but it's difficult to find people to train with. I usually train interstate or have someone come in to help me train, but the travel restrictions have made it hard."

Bai has been kept busy studying law at university during the sport's shutdown and only recently returned to training at Lyneham Tennis Centre.

She's looking forward to the tour's resumption but understands it could be delayed further after players tested positive for coronavirus at Novak Djokovic's exhibition event.

Bai would normally be finishing the European swing and preparing for competitions in United States, with the US Open scheduled to start on August 25.

The US Tennis Association has copped heavy criticism for pushing ahead with the grand slam event, with Canberra's Nick Kyrgios calling the decision "selfish".

Bai has also questioned whether the US Open should go ahead this year, saying it would be unfair to players who could not afford to travel safely.

"Personally [I don't think it should go ahead] and it's still quite dangerous to travel," Bai said.

"With the example of Novak's [exhibition] - it's a bit extreme as they did have spectators and whatnot - but seeing how the new COVID-19 tests work and having a throat and nose swab every day is a bit much. I know they can do it at the top like at the US Open but there's a lot of factors. They have the money to do tests and create a bubble but it only really advantages the top 50 players.

"They have the money to get private jets and fly first class. Travel is a bit more flexible for them. Everybody else down the bottom doesn't have the money to travel like that.

"The [organisers] also don't have the money to have everyone stay in particular hotels and make sure it's all secure. It's a tough one because the sport needs to stay alive but to what extent?"

US Open officials also decided to cancel the men's and women's qualifying tournaments, as well as the mixed doubles event. The doubles draws will also be reduced from 64 teams to 32.

Bai, a world No.144 doubles player, said the decision disadvantaged players outside the top 100, who had been the hardest hit by the coronavirus-induced economic crisis.

"The whole point of a grand slam is that it has a big draw, is over two weeks - you have to have the stamina to last seven matches to win," Bai said.

"Having no mixed doubles or the best-of-five sets, it's just like any other tournament really. It's a bit different.

"It does demonstrate that they need to make money, I understand it's a business at the end of the day, but it will probably increase the gap.

"There's been a lot of talk at the bottom with the ITF girls, they're really fighting for fairness. They've been fighting for increased prizemoney for the last 20 years and something like this doesn't help their case."