The 2022 Australian Tennis Open could be forced offshore due to the government prediction that international borders will stay closed until mid-2022.
The ABC is reporting Dubai and Doha, which hosted men's and women's qualifying events ahead of this year's tournament in Melbourne, are among the potential host cities if the year's opening grand slam needs to be relocated.
It's understood players would not be willing to go into hard quarantine in Australia in order to compete, as they did this year.
Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Players participating in WTA and ATP events around the world are being put in a bubble environment that allows them to train and compete without strict self-isolation.
When they arrive at events in the US and Europe they are required to isolate until they test negative to COVID-19, but are then free to move within the bubble.
The players' resistance to again spending two weeks in an Australian hotel means an offshore event is one of the scenarios being considered by Tennis Australia, if an agreement cannot be reached with the government.
The Australian Formula One Grand Prix also faces an uncertain future as the race, which has been moved from March to November, will need quarantine arrangements to be relaxed in order to proceed.
-ABC