World No.1 Ash Barty (Qld) will play at A Day at the Drive, the official curtain raiser to the 2021 Australian summer of tennis.
The one-off event will be held at Memorial Drive Tennis Centre in Adelaide on Friday 29 January.
The event will feature a total of eight players and also includes Serena Williams (USA), Rafael Nadal (ESP), Novak Djokovic (SRB), Dominic Thiem (AUT), Simona Halep (ROU), Naomi Osaka (JPN) with 19-year-old world No.36 Jannik Sinner (ITA) rounding out the line up.
The field now boasts an impressive 67 Grand Slam singles titles between them.
A Day at the Drive will feature two sessions with reduced venue capacity in line with State Government requirements to ensure the safety of all patrons.
Each session will consist of two singles matches. The schedule of play will be announced in due course.
“I am looking forward to playing my first match for the 2021 season in Adelaide,” Barty said.
“I have fond memories from the Adelaide International last year and it will be great to get back on court here for A Day at the Drive.”
South Australian Premier Steven Marshall is thrilled to welcome Barty back to Adelaide.
“Having Ash Barty return to Adelaide, and to where she had such a great tournament last year, is a massive win for South Australian tennis fans,” Marshall said.
“She’s everything we love in a champion – and I’m sure when she plays at Memorial Drive next week the crowd is going to welcome her with open arms. It will be a day to remember.”
“As if this event wasn’t good enough already we’re now welcoming world No.1 Ash Barty back to Adelaide. It was fantastic to see her take out the inaugural Adelaide International last year and become the first woman in nine years to win a title on home soil and we can’t wait to see her back in action at Memorial Drive next week,” South Australian Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing Corey Wingard said.
“We are thrilled to welcome Ash and Jannik as our final two players for A Day at the Drive,” Tennis SA CEO Debbie Sterrey added.
“To see a field of this calibre is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and we look forward to the South Australian public joining us for this very special event.”
Adelaide International Tournament Director Alistair MacDonald said: “We are pleased to have Ash and Jannik join our star-studded field for A Day at the Drive.
“This time last year we were celebrating Ash’s title win at the inaugural Adelaide International, so we couldn’t be more pleased to have her return to Memorial Drive.”