As widely expected, the ATP, WTA, and ITF extend the suspension of the tours until the 1st of August. This came not a surprise after the tours were already halted until the 13th of July. It was pretty clear that the “real deal” is the North American swing and the happening of the US Open. That means that it would be great to see the competitions back in Cincinnati and (possibly) in New York for what is usually the last major of the year.
The ATP Communicate
The ATP released the following statement: “Due to continued uncertainties surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, we regret to announce our decision to extend the suspension of the Tour.
Just like tennis fans, players, and tournament hosts all over the world, we share in the disappointment the Tour continues to be affected in this way. We continue to assess all of our options in an effort to resume the Tour as soon as it is safe to do so, including the feasibility of rescheduling events later in the season. As ever, the health and well-being of the tennis community and wider public remains our top priority in every decision we make.”
That means that at ATP level, these are the canceled tournaments: Hamburg, Bastad, Newport, Los Cabos, Gstaad, Umag, Atlanta and Kitzbühel. Also, the men will not ply any agent at ITF and Challenger level. Also, it is interesting that they stated the possibility of rescheduling the events. So, technically and so far they are not canceled.
Kitzbühel announced the intention of holding the tournament in September while Hambourg may happen in October.
The WTA Statement
The WTA approached the issue in a different way to “only” confirm the cancellation of 4 tournaments such as Bastad, Lausanne, Bucharest, and Jurmala. However, 2 tournaments scheduled in July seems to be still on (Karlsruhe and Palermo).
This was the statement:
“Following the announcement of the WTA Tour suspension through July 12, the WTA events in Bastad, Lausanne, Bucharest, and Jurmala scheduled for July will not be held, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
We regret this is the case but will continue to be guided by medical experts for when it is safe and possible to return to WTA competition. We continue to monitor the situation closely and are hopeful to be back on the court as soon as possible.
A decision regarding the dates in which Karlsruhe and Palermo may be played along with further updates to the WTA calendar will be made in June.”
The statement from the ITF
The ITF also came out with the following statement:
“The International Tennis Federation has extended the suspension of all ITF tournaments through to July 31, 2020, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
All ITF circuits and event categories scheduled to take place during the newly extended period are suspended, including ITF Juniors, ITF Seniors, UNIQLO Wheelchair Tennis Tour, Beach Tennis Tour and the men’s and women’s ITF World Tennis Tour.
ITF President, David Haggerty said, “These are tough and disappointing decisions to make, but health and safety remain our primary concern. We continue to review the global situation and assess all our options to resume international competition the moment it is safe to do so. We are working closely with tennis stakeholders to review the calendar and make the right decisions together.
While the global pandemic continues to prevent international competition, the partial lifting of government restrictions in some nations has permitted the resumption of recreational tennis and national competitions. The ITF has issued Return to Tennis guidelines for the staging of competitions with appropriate integrity, health and safety measures in place and advises recreational players to follow information and instructions from their national federation as they return to play.”
The US Open
The good news is that the US Open is still scheduled for the end of August and USTA is taking into consideration all sorts of options such as playing with no fans and eve hold the competitions in Indian Wells or Florida.
