The Australian Open is set to begin February 8, three weeks later than planned, as part of a pandemic-altered tennis calendar.
But men's qualifying for the season's first Grand Slam tournament is being moved to Qatar from January 10 to 13, the Association of Tennis Professionals announced.
That will be followed by about 2-1/2 weeks set aside for travel to Melbourne and a 14-day quarantine period for players and coaches.
A 12-team ATP Cup, the relocated Adelaide International and an additional men's tournament will be held in Melbourne to give players a chance to prepare for the hard-court Australian Open.
Indications are that players in the main draw will be allowed to take only two team members into the country and that the federal and state governments have capped the maximum number of players and teams allowed in at 1,000.
Victoria state went through a serious second wave in second half of the year, resulting in more than 800 deaths. But the state has not had any new active cases in more than six weeks.
Players will have restricted practice times at Melbourne Park and spend the rest of the time in hotel rooms. They will be taken between their downtown hotel and the tennis center in secure transport.
There will also be extensive testing before the players arrive and during a two-week quarantine period.
Players, including reigning Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic, had warned against expecting competitors to go straight from quarantine into matches.
The ATP Cup, two ATP events and two WTA tournaments will take place in Melbourne the week before the Australian Open. And one WTA tournament is likely to be in the second week of the Open.
The season will start with a tournament beginning in the first week of January in Delray Beach, Florida. That event was contested in February this year. There also will be an early January tournament in Antalya, Turkey.
Tournaments that will not take place next year include the New York Open, and the ATP is seeking new dates for the Rio Open, which was supposed to begin on February 17 but now conflicts with the two-week Australian Open main draw.
