Details of the 2022 Australian Summer of Tennis have been announced by Tennis Australia, with 17 professional tournaments to be staged before the Australian Open.
The WTA season will begin in Week 1 with three tournaments - a WTA 500 event in Adelaide (Jan. 2 to Jan. 9), and two WTA 250 events in Melbourne (Jan. 3 to Jan. 9).
This year, the Adelaide International was held in the week following the Australian Open, and was won by Iga Swiatek with victory over Belinda Bencic in the final.
In Week 2, a WTA 500 event in Sydney will mark the return of women's tennis to the New South Wales capital for the first time since 2019. The one-off Sydney Tennis Classic (Jan. 9 to Jan. 15) will be a combined tournament with the ATP.
Week 2 will also see a second Adelaide International event take place (Jan. 9 to Jan. 15), this time at WTA 250 level.
Australian Open qualifying will take place in Melbourne Park between Jan. 10 and Jan. 14. Main draw play at 2022's first major will run between Jan. 17 and Jan. 30.
In addition, two ITF W60 tournaments will take place between Jan. 2 and Jan. 9 in Bendigo and Traralgon.
“It’s incredibly important to have the world’s best players competing across the country, inspiring the next generation of players and growing interest and excitement in our sport,” Tennis Australia CEO Craig Tiley said.
“It’s also vital to provide competition opportunities for the playing group, and with an incredible 17 tournaments, we are pleased to announce we will have a record number of jobs for players here in Australia in January.
“We have worked closely with both the women’s and men’s Tours and would like to particularly thank our government partners across the country who have all been tireless in their efforts to bring the tennis back in 2022. I know it was sorely missed this year, and we are already planning to have a full program of events across the country in 2023.
“It’s also fantastic to bring tennis back to regional Victoria, where I know the local communities of Bendigo and Traralgon will welcome these global events with open arms.
“It is not news to anyone that the pandemic, closed borders and varying rates of vaccination created a massive challenge for us and led to the changes specifically for the summer. It’s why we waited as long as possible to secure optimal conditions for the players and fans in as many locations as we could,” Tiley continued.
“I would like to recognise and express our appreciation for the significant efforts of Tennis Australia in providing several WTA competition opportunities across various parts of Australia in 2022 as part of the summer of tennis,” WTA Chairman and CEO Steve Simon said.
“Holding these WTA events maximises key playing opportunities as we kick off the 2022 season and allows the WTA Tour to showcase women’s tennis live to our many fans across Australia,” Simon continued.
