The Association of Professional Tennis Players (ATP) announced this Friday that it is suspending the men's circuit until July 31 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.The decision, agreed with the players, affects the tournaments of Hamburg, Bastad, Newport, Los Cabos, Gstaad, Umag, Atlanta and Kitzbühel. The WTA, for its part, announced that there will be no competition in Bastad, Lausanne, Bucharest and Jurmala, but it does not rule out the celebration as of July 12 of the Karlsrühe and Palermo tournaments.
“Due to the continuing uncertainties surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, we regret to announce our decision to extend the suspension of the Tour,” said Andrea Gaudenzi, president of the ATP. However, the manager does not give up on the possibility of the season resuming: “Like tennis fans, players and tournament hosts around the world, we share the disappointment that the Tour continues to be affected by This way, we continue to evaluate all of our options in an effort to resume it as soon as it is safe to do so, including the ability to reschedule events later in the season. As always, the health and well-being of the tennis community and the general public remains our top priority in every decision we make. “
The ATP has extended the suspension of the ATP Tour through to July 31, 2020 due to the ongoing # COVID19 pandemic.
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– ATP Tour (@atptour) May 15, 2020
“We are sorry that this is the case, but we will continue to be guided by medical experts to determine when it is safe and possible to return to competition. We continue to monitor the situation closely and hope to return to the field as soon as possible, “explains the WTA brief.
Tournaments scheduled as of August 1 remain in accordance with the ATP schedule and will be updated in mid-June. That same month, The WTA will make a decision regarding the dates Karlsruhe and Palermo can be played, along with other updates to their schedule.
The ITF supports the measure
Shortly after the news was released, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) published a statement announcing the suspension, also until July 31, from all scheduled ITF circuits and event categories, including ITF Juniors, ITF Seniors, UNIQLO Tennis Chair Tennis Tour, Beach Tennis Tour and ITF World Tennis Tour for both men and women.
“These are difficult and disappointing decisions, but health and safety remain our main concern. We continue to review the global situation and evaluate all of our options for resuming international competition when it is safe to do so. We are working closely with tennis stakeholders to review the schedule and make the right decisions together. ” said David Haggerty, president of the ITF.
Green light for the MAPFRE League
The new postponement of the resumption of the international circuit affects the plans of the Spanish Federation (RFET), who was awaiting the ATP's decision to launch a national tour, whose start is scheduled for July 10 in Lleida under the name of MAPFRE League. If the professional activity had resumed, the mini-tournaments that the RFET intends to organize with the top-100 Spaniards would not have been carried out. Now, its celebration depends only on what the Government has in health matters in the different phases of the de-escalation. The ITF supports these initiatives thanks to the partial lifting of government restrictions and has distributed guidelines for the return of tennis with appropriate measures of integrity, health and safety.