Australian Open will go ahead in Melbourne says Wally Masur

Melbourne is in the midst of a stage-four lockdown and state borders remain closed to Victoria, with the state recording a further 278 cases of COVID-19 on Thursday.

But Masur and Tennis Australia officials are optimistic the 2021 tournament will hosted in its usual January slot at Melbourne Park, albeit with strict biosecurity measures in place.

Tennis Australia is planning to open five bio-secure bubbles across the country in December, allowing players time to fulfill quarantine requirements and prepare for the season-opening grand slam.

Speaking at the unveiling of a draft concept plan for a proposed tennis facility in Gungahlin, former Davis Cup captain Masur had confidence in the tournament organiser's plans.

"It'll go ahead. Knowing chief executive Craig Tiley and the board as I do, it'll go ahead," Masur said.

"What they do well is work with the government because that's a massive government investment at Melbourne Park. They will do it well.

"There'll be all sorts of biosecurity protocols, quarantines and bubbles. And just anecdotally, a lot of international players are already calling.

"Some have already wiped off the year because it's too hard, but they're looking at Australia as a safe haven. The numbers are pretty good.

"I know we've had some recent issues but that's to be expected. A lot of players are inquiring about coming to Australia in December.

"A lot of the international players and better international players are looking to come and spend time in Australia in a safe environment, and then being able to play some lead in events to the Open."

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Masur was adamant the Australian Open would not be relocated from Melbourne if the daily trend of new COVID-19 cases remained high.

Melbourne Park has hosted the grand slam since 1972 and Masur says is the only location in Australia equipped to do so.

A total of 33 courts are used during the tournament, including three arenas with retractable roofs. There's also an additional 18 courts available at nearby locations.

"I don't think [a relocation] will happen. Tournament director Craig Tiley is committed to a full draw and you need a massive facility to run an event like the Australian Open," Masur said.

"It has three enclosed roofs and that's huge for the event. It's such a festival of tennis and is ongoing as it stands now. You have to consider the Victorian government's investment into that site."

The former world No.15 was excited by Tennis ACT's plans to develop a new tennis facility in Gungahlin and helped unveil the draft proposal on Thursday.

The concept design includes 12 fully-specified International Tennis Federation courts, two hot-shots courts and a multi-lined court that can be used for other sports.

Tennis ACT and the territory government are considering a lot in Amaroo for the development, which will be the second-largest tennis facility in Canberra.

Gungahlin has a population close to 85,000 people but has no community tennis club, a demand Tennis ACT boss Kim Kachel says the sport body has been working to meet for the last few years.

"Demographics and analytics show there's no more compelling case than Gungahlin in terms of the need for a community tennis facility, and that's nationally," Kachel said.

"This has been our number one priority for numerous years and represents the biggest opportunity for further participation, growth and uncovering the next Wally Masur, Nick Kyrgios, Charlie Camus and Annerly Poulos from Gungahlin."

There has not been any major investments into a new tennis facility in the ACT, other than the redevelopment of the Lyneham centre, since 1986.

Tennis ACT received an overwhelming amount of support from the Gungahlin community in a survey last week, with responses indicating the need for better accessibility for courts in the region.

The facility will also be capable of hosting major participation events and be a satellite venue for tournaments in Lyneham.