The dispute of the Mutua Madrid Open (September 12 to 20), which only seemed guaranteed a few days ago, is increasingly in doubt after the Government of the Community of Madrid, through its deputy minister of Public Health, the veteran tennis player Antonio Zapatero, discouraged its celebration “due to the risk to health that it would entail for both the public and the organization and the players,” according to a letter to which he had access. on Friday The confidential. This Saturday, the organizers of the Mutua issued a statement in which they explain that in a meeting on July 29 with the heads of the Community and the Higher Sports Council They expressed their “doubts about being able to hold the tournament without health complications affecting players, the public and workers”, who asked Zapatero for “help” and received “the recommendation” not to go ahead “for the current evolution of COVID-19”.
In the writing, the Madrid Open argues that “as it cannot assure a positive evolution of this situation in the coming weeks”, it was raised “make a decision early enough.” “At all times, the organizers have valued the support of the competent health agencies of the Community of Madrid and have valued the opinion of their experts, but always reserving the right to make that last decision about the celebration of the Mutua Madrid Open “, warns the tournament, which points out that “they are analyzing and evaluating in detail all the possible options, always thinking of guaranteeing the safety of all the members of the tournament” and most importantly, that “The final decision on holding the Mutua Madrid Open 2020 will rest with Ion Tiriac and Super Slam Ltd., owner of the tournament license.”
According to what AS has learned, the Romanian businessman and extenista do not finish the accounts so that the Spanish Masters 1,000 to which they planned to go, among others, Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic, be profitable and this has been expressed both to the ATP and to the WTA. Both he and the executive director, the French Gerard Tsobanian, have many doubts about the advisability of going ahead with the Mutua, which in principle was going to be played with the public, although in a restricted way. That “final decision” to which they allude could come imminently.