CORONAVIRUS. ATP chairman Gaudenzi says that the show must go on, but…without fans?

By
Alex Boyden
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Andrea Gaudenzi

The new ATP Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi was rather unlucky in the first few months at the top of the prestigious organization. Tennis Australia was the one to get the blunt for the “bushfires controversy” back in January, but the Italian has to manage something that is even trickier: the spread of the Coronavirus.

Indian Wells had to be canceled (or “postponed” as per the organization) and there are question marks about the opportunity to play the upcoming tournaments such as the Miami Open that is expected to start in a couple of weeks. There is a lot of confusion and uncertainty and no one has a solution.

Tennis tournaments without fans behind close doors?

Gaudenzi released a statement that highlights the will of the ATP not to stop any other tournament. Of course, this intention will have to take into consideration what is going to happen in the following weeks.

This was the statement:

“While we regret that the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells will not take place, the ATP Tour calendar beyond Indian Wells remains as status quo. We continue to monitor the situation daily, working closely with our player and tournament members with the understanding that direction must be taken from local public health authorities.

We are committed to exploring all options for the operation of upcoming tournaments as the health and safety of our players and all other stakeholders remain our top priority. Any further updates will be communicated on ATP platforms.”

Some interpreted this statement as a message that it is possible to have events played without fans. For example, this something that is widely expected to happen at the upcoming Miami Open. However,  the tournaments will not have the “luxury” to choose their own fate as the local authorities may kick-in any time to decide if a given event can take place or not.

Time will tell.

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