Tennis fans received the bad news that the Citi Open had to be canceled because of the problems generated by the Coronavirus pandemic. Besides the obvious issues in preserving the health of the stakeholders, the Citi Open was not able to cope anymore with the uncertainty generated by the travel restrictions.
While US Open tournament director Stacey Allaster has recently confirmed that the American major is still scheduled, USTA decided to publish an official statement reassuring that both the US Open and the Western & Southern Open were not impacted by the cancellation of the Citi Open.
This was the official statement.
“Though unfortunate, the USTA understands the rationale for canceling the Citi Open at this time. We want to commend Mark Ein and his entire team for their tenacity, driven by their passion for the sport, but respect the tournament’s ultimate decision. We also want to thank the many supporters of the tournament, from the fans to its many partners, and know that Mark and his team will be ready to host them in 2021.
This decision in no way impacts the US Open or the Western & Southern Open. The USTA will create a safe and controlled environment for players and everyone else involved in both tournaments that mitigates health risks that were approved by the State of New York and also conform to the standards put forth by New York City and the federal government.
We constantly base our decisions regarding hosting these tournaments on our three guiding principles that include safety and health of all involved, whether hosting these events are in the best interest in the sport of tennis and whether this decision is financially viable. We are confident we remain in-line with all three guiding principles.”
Let’s hope not to have any more surprises and both the Western & Southern Open and the US open can be played safely.
