Australia's revised summer of tennis is continuing to take shape with Tennis Australia today unveiling a blockbuster line-up of lead-up tournaments in the week prior to the Australian Open.
Following on from the announcement of the ATP Cup field, it has now been revealed that there will be several other tournaments featuring some of the sport's biggest names in the week starting on January 31.
More than $2.2 million in prizemoney will go on the line with two WTA 500 and two ATP 250 tournaments filling the lead-up to the opening grand slam of the year.
Australia's world No.1 Ashleigh Barty will return to the court after a long layoff to headline one of two women's tournaments that will split the top 32 ranked players in the world - with 16 to play in the Gippsland Trophy and 16 to play in the Yarra Valley Classic.
Meanwhile, Nick Kyrgios will headline the field to play at Melbourne Park in the Murray River Open, which will also feature three-time grand slam champion Stan Wawrinka, Grigor Dimitrov, Felix Auger-Aliassime and former US Open champion Marin Cilic.
The other men's tournament, called the Great Ocean Road Open, will feature the likes of David Goffin, Karen Khachanov, Kevin Anderson, John Isner and Aussie Jordan Thompson.
"Having 49 of the world's top 50 women, and an outstanding men's field commit for the Melbourne Summer Series is a huge bonus for fans and promises quality matches for players leading into the Australian Open," Tennis Australia Head of Major Events Cameron Pearson said.
"There's no doubt this will be an historic week of tennis, and is the biggest-ever AO lead-in week we have seen in Australia. It's an exciting prospect for fans both onsite and watching around the world.
"While we know the circumstances are unique this year, it is a huge coup to secure such strong playing fields. I hope fans, whether onsite or watching at home, will embrace what will be a high quality week of events."
To ensure the safety of all patrons on site, the Melbourne Park precinct will be split into three zones with a corresponding ticket. Further details about tickets will be released soon.
The ATP Cup will be played alongside the Melbourne Summer Series at Melbourne Park.
from WWOS https://wwos.nine.com.au/tennis/tennis-australia-announces-lead-up-tournaments-to-australian-open/12a3de4c-3e53-4021-a876-34645342ce80
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