The cost involved in laying a temporary grass court at the Canberra Tennis Centre and the limited amount of seating on the venue's show court for the marquee tie against the US was always going to work against the ACT bid.

Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane will be the front-runners when Tennis Australia makes its final decision for which city will host the first round encounter from March 4-6 next year.

Tennis Australia must submit its choice to the International Tennis Federation by December 12.

Canberra had done everything possible to put the revamped $10.5 million facility into mix, having brought up a grasscourt expert to examine the venue.

They also received sterling reviews from players at this year's Canberra International, which was the first major tournament held at the centre since the overhaul.

But Tennis ACT chief executive Ross Triffitt conceded it was looking unlikely Canberra was going to get the nod compared to bids from cities with larger venues.

"The deadline for the ITF is the 12th of December, so I'm sure [Tennis Australia] have a very good idea of where it is at," Triffitt said.

"We haven't had any more discussions, so it probably doesn't bode well for our chances.

"I think everyone agrees if it is going to be played on grass, it is going to be more expensive than the other venues to host it, and we've got limited spectator capacity.

"It's one of those things that you need to be careful what you wish for, drawing the US for a start, it's a massive tie."

The next major tournament at the Canberra Tennis Centre will be a $75,000 Challenger tournament from January 9-16.

Up to six of the top 100 players in the world are expected to line-up in the event as they continue preparations for the Australian Open, which starts the following week.

"Because we're not actively procuring players, we won't know what our field will look like until a few weeks before the event," Triffitt said.