ATP President Andrea Gaudenzi went through the Supertennis program to analyze the current situation in the world of tennis and the doubts that have arisen about some tournaments in the last days.
One of the issues of greatest concern is the possible cancellation of the Mutua Madrid Open in the absence of official confirmation from the tournament. “In the next few days we will speak with the Madrid organizers and the ATP board. We have to follow the instructions of the governments to plan the tournaments in the most efficient way, in addition to receiving exemptions so that tennis players who return from the United States can play in Europe without being quarantined “
However, waiting to make a decision about the Madrid tournament, Gaudenzi affirms that the calendar is maintained. “Right now the schedule remains as we have announced. We are working towards the indoor season in Europe and the Nitto ATP Finals in London. We are trying to handle the situation in the best possible way. “The ATP president regretted the absence of Asian tournaments, which will try to make up for more tournaments in Europe. “The absence of tournaments in China does not help us. We will try to stay most of the time in Europe to save intercontinental travel. We are planning what tournaments could be held in Europe to plug the Asian hole. “
Gaudenzi also analyzed what his ideal protocol would be to hold these competitions without putting the tennis players at risk. “The idea is to put the players in a bubble, guarantee social distancing and make frequent and accurate tests. We have spoken with the NBA and other competitions. Our difficulty is especially big trips. We have to get 700-800 people from the United States to Europe after the US Open. “
Finally, the president of the ATP defended the measure that the institution took on the points of the ATP ranking. “The ranking measure allows those who do not feel like playing for various reasons, to skip the tournament and keep last year's points. I think it is the best solution that we have been able to take. We have tried to satisfy the majority of the ATP collective. “