New-look Memorial Drive to host more action as summer of tennis is locked in
The lead-in to the Australian Open has been confirmed, with tournaments across three states, including two weeks of action at Adelaide’s redeveloped Memorial Drive.
With border restrictions continuing to cause issues for Tennis Australia, it’s once again a different looking summer of tennis, as players prepare for the 2022 Australian Open which begins on January 17.
Brisbane, Perth and Hobart will miss out for the second year running, after not hosting a lead-in tournament this year, with tournaments to be held in Adelaide, Sydney and Melbourne.
Memorial Drive, which is currently under construction with stage two of its redevelopment, will host two Adelaide International’s, from January 2-15.
The $44 million stage two works include the construction of new northern and eastern grandstands, linked by a concourse level, with enhanced patron amenities, food and beverage facilities. It follows the stage one works in 2019 which included a new roof covering the arena.
The stage two redevelopment will be event ready for the Adelaide International in January 2022, with project completion expected in mid-2022. Once complete, the world-class arena will have a seating capacity of 6,000.
The 16-team ATP Cup will exclusively be hosted by Sydney again, played across two venues at Ken Rosewall Arena and Qudos Bank Arena at Sydney Olympic Park, with the top ranked men representing their nations. This will be followed by the new one-off Sydney Tennis Classic at Ken Rosewall Arena, featuring a star-studded line up of women and men.
Melbourne Park will again host three lead-in tournaments as part of the Melbourne Summer Series.
Tickets for all Australian tennis tournaments will be available through Ticketmaster.
Summer Tennis Schedule 2022
1-9 Jan ATP Cup – Ken Rosewall Arena & Qudos Bank Arena
2-9 Jan Adelaide International 1 – Memorial Drive
3-9 Jan Melbourne Summer Series – Melbourne Park
9-15 Jan Sydney Tennis Classic – Ken Rosewall Arena
9-15 Jan Adelaide International 2 – Memorial Drive
10-14 Jan AO Qualifying – Melbourne Park
17-30 Jan Australian Open – Melbourne Park
Smaller international tournaments will make their return to regional Victoria in 2022, with events to be staged in Bendigo and Traralgon.
The confirmed 2022 schedule means the ATP Cup will again skip Perth and Brisbane, while the Brisbane International and Hobart International won’t be staged. The Kooyong Tennis Club also announced last month that the Kooyong Classic wouldn’t be staged in 2022 for the second year running, as covid continues to cause havoc on world sport.
At this stage, full crowds will be permitted for all events, with all spectators, players, coaches and support staff required to be fully vaccinated.
Tickets are now on sale to the 2022 Australian Open through Ticketmaster, with tickets for the lead-in tournaments to go on sale soon. The first grand slam of 2022 will feature new attractions for fans including the new 5000-seat Show Court Arena and several new fan activations around the Melbourne Park precinct.
