Australian Open 2021

[Sanjay]

Purav/Ramkumar are in the list of doubles alternates. Will they get to travel to Australia and await their chances?

Leander doesn't seem to have received a wildcard...he should just partner one of the Aussies and try to get one.

Hasn't Leander retired?

[sameerph]

No. He has not. Still wanted to have last hurrah at Tokyo 2020 which is now postponed. Let's see if he gets to play that somehow.

[Dinesh]

Some good news as some of the players were allowed to hit some balls for practice starting today and our Ankita is one among them. Her hitting partner is Francesca Jones, the Brit who qualified for the main draw. Jones is one of a kind, in that she only have 3 fingers on each hand (including thumbs) and 7 toes, a rare condition she was born with. I’m so happy Ankita is out there getting some practice, whilst some of the key top players are still waiting on getting the clearance.

[vparam]

Bopanna's partner Joao Sousa has tested positive for covid and is stuck in Barcelona.

[Rajiv]

Rohan is hoping that his partner gets there on time , if not he will try his luck signing in as alternate.

[sameerph]

There are couple more withdrawal from the main draw list and Ankita may be only 1 or 2 out now from the main draw. In any case, WTA has added 1 more tournament next week in Melbourne so that eveyone out there gets a chance to play. This may be the first instance of 3 tournaments being held in the same city in same week. But, Ankita would surely get to play one of them.

[jaydeep]

Joao Sousa withdraws from AO due to the Australian government's strict COVID-19 protocols ... Now Rohan needs to try his luck signing in as alternate.

"Even though I already tested negative and have no symptoms, due to the strict rules of the Australian government, I won't be able to travel," Sousa wrote on Instagram on Saturday.

[PKBasu]

I don't know if it has been reported here earlier, but Sania Mirza isn't playing the Australian Open because she has had the Wuhan Coronavirus. Although she has recovered, she doesn't yet feel fully fit to play pro tennis.

[Dinesh]

Sania never entered the tournament in the first place. I’m glad she recovered from covid-19, though.

Ankita (along with Erin Routliffe) is 11 places out of the main draw in the doubles entry list although this could change when AO posts an updated alternates list on Feb 4th (according to TF). I hope she makes it.

Rohan may be able to partner with Sam Querrey since Sam’s partner Steve Johnson had to withdraw.

[Dinesh]

Ankita (along with Erin Routliffe) is 11 places out of the main draw in the doubles entry list although this could change when AO posts an updated alternates list on Feb 4th (according to TF). I hope she makes it.

Scratch that. Ankita’s partner Erin Routliffe is in the US, playing in a $60K tournament. I hope Ankita finds someone onsite to get in the main draw since there maybe some openings.

[sameerph]

Btw, Chinese player Wang who had the Asian wild card withdrew due to Covid. That opens up Asian wild card. Usually Ankita would have got it as the next highest ranked Asian on site but unfortunately as per rules they cannot give the wild card to anyone who has already played qualies.

They, need to give it someone who is already in Australia. So, there is an outside chance that Pranjala Yadlapalli gets it. She has been in Australia for so long. But, they did not give her qualies wild card, so not sure if they will give her the main draw one. Else, that will open a spot for another LL spot and will increase Ankita's chances. I believe Ankita is currently 3 out from main draw.

[PKBasu]

Wang has already been replaced by a Lucky Loser (Buzamescu) and Yastremska (suspended by ITF for a drug offense) has been replaced by another LL (Tsurenko). So 5 Lucky Losers are already in the main draw now, and Ankita is the only one on-site who hasn't yet got into the main draw. She will be next if there is another withdrawal -- but I just hope and pray that it isn't a case of so-near and yet-so-far for her .

[Dinesh]

As expected, Ankita has made it to the main draw of the Yarra valley classic WTA500 event starting January 31st. I hope she draws one of the other least ranked players in the first round. Barty, Kenin, Ka Pliskova, Kvitova, S Williams headlines the entry list.

[PKBasu]

Sadly, Ankita seems very unlikely to make it to the singles main draw at the Australian Open. Let us hope she can capitalize on her chances at Yarra Valley.

[prasen9]

Things happen in the last minute, no? People who were trying to recover from an injury finally give up? What do the past years' say about alternates getting in the last few days? This week people are playing and can get injured. Is she that much behind in the list that probabilistically it is not likely that she will get in?