The sports minister for Victoria state says the 2021 Australian Open in Melbourne will �most likely� be delayed by a week or two from its scheduled start of Jan. 18.

Martin Pakula also said negotiations between various levels of governments and tennis officials were close to a conclusion and that the first Grand Slam tennis tournament of the year was expected to go ahead.
�There�s a number of potential dates on the table. I�ve seen reports that suggest that it�s likely to be delayed by a week or two. I think that�s still most likely,� Pakula said Wednesday. "But it�s not the only option. As you know, the French Open was delayed by many months and Wimbledon didn�t occur at all.

"I still think it�s much more likely that it will be a shorter rather than longer delay. I don�t want to unduly repeat myself but these are very complex negotiations.�

Australian Open tournament director and Tennis Australia chief executive Craig Tiley last weekend said the final dates should be confirmed within two weeks. The Australian Open is usually held in the last two weeks of January, which coincides with summer school holidays in Australia.