Share

All grass-court events 'remain as scheduled at this time'

ATP President Andrea Gaudenzi says all grass-court events will go ahead as planned as things stand, but admits that could change due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Sporting calendars across the globe have been thrown into disarray due to the coronavirus pandemic and tennis officials opted to suspend all tournaments until 7 June.

Gaudenzi, though, concedes that they are not 100 percent sure if the Tour will resume on 8 June as it is "an evolving situation".

"Unfortunately, the repercussions from the Covid-19 pandemic are being felt across all areas of society, as well as by our players, tournaments, and the Tour," he told ATPTour.com.

"This is bigger than any sport. The current situation raises many questions which we empathize with greatly, and we are working hard on evaluating all options.

"Our ability to address any supportive measures will be best guided once we know the duration of the crisis and when the Tour will resume, which remains unknown at this time. This remains an evolving situation that will require significant time to deal with in the coming weeks and months, and we must avoid making any rushed decisions without knowing first when the crisis will end.

"Understanding the full duration and scale of this crisis will be critical to addressing any measures related to its repercussions."

The clay-court season has already been wiped out while 2020 Tokyo Olympics has been postponed until next year, but officials are hopeful that the grass-court campaign will go ahead as scheduled with Wimbledon keeping its 29 June-6 July slot.

"We continue to assess all options related to preserving and maximising the calendar based on various return dates for the Tour," the ATP chief said.

"It goes without saying that full cooperation with the other governing bodies is essential. We are in close discussion with all the grass-court events and they remain on the calendar as scheduled at this time.

"The reality is this is a rapidly evolving situation and there is no option other than to take this day-by-day and week-by-week."

- TEAMtalk media

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
25% - 1273 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1472 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2251 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE