This week on the 2020 professional tennis schedule should have been headlined by the latter stages of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, annually the first Masters 1000 tournament. Later this month, another Masters 1000—the Miami Open—would have taken place.
The coronavirus crisis has since postponed Indian Wells, canceled Miami, and halted the professional tennis tours at least through the clay-court swing–including the French Open.
“After careful consideration, and due to the continuing outbreak of COVID-19, all ATP and WTA tournaments in the Spring clay-court swing will not be held as scheduled,” the two tours wrote in a joint statement on Wednesday. “This includes the combined ATP/WTA tournaments in Madrid and Rome, along with the WTA events in Strasbourg and Rabat and ATP events in Munich, Estoril, Geneva and Lyon.
“The professional tennis season is now suspended through 7 June 2020, including the ATP Challenger Tour and ITF World Tennis Tour. At this time, tournaments taking place from 8 June 2020 onwards are still planning to go ahead as per the published schedule.”
In that June 8 best-case scenario, competition would resume on grass in ‘s-Hertogenbosch (ATP and WTA), Stuttgart (ATP), and Nottingham (WTA). Those events would be followed by an ATP 500-pointer at Queen’s Club and then Wimbledon in late June and early July.
It has to be said that the chances of Wimbledon going on as scheduled are questionable at best. There does, however, seem to be a realistic possibility that two more Grand Slams could get played in 2020. As always, the U.S. Open does not come around until late August and early September. More notably, in a controversial move earlier this week the French Tennis Federation announced that the French Open is rescheduled for late September and early October. In fact, it is now on pace to begin only one week after the U.S. Open ends.
That’s right; in the span of five weeks, four could involve Grand Slam tennis.
Although everything looks like doomsday right now, there is at least some chance for a big finish to the 2020 campaign.
Hopefully.
predictions for when it resumes?
Looks grim right now…but I’m hoping for July/Aug US/Canada hard court series, leading up to US OPEN….but I could be dreaming!!!
Stay safe everyone. Better Tennis days ahead.
At least only Clay is being cancelled
a lot more likely coming….
No chance we’ll see any grass court tennis either. I honestly don’t think we’ll see any more tennis this year. A lot of countries would have to open up their borders and there’s going to be a lot of distrust that has to be overcome before they do that. But I hope I’m wrong!
I think tennis can take a back seat …never thought Id say that .What a strange year .Stay safe, everyone
Proud of the tennis players who have stepped up. Roger and Mirka have donated 1 mil euros to Swiss families in need, Djokovic has offered 1 mil euros for ventilators for Serbia. Rafa and his basketball player friend Pau Gasol have called on Spanish athletes to contribute to a Spanish Red Cross fundraising effort.
Wish someone would send some venitilators and other medical supplies to NYC – things are pretty desperate there.
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