The Italian Open in Rome is one
of the tournaments that will not take place
The suspension of the professional tennis tours
because of coronavirus has been extended to 7 June, ruling out the entire
clay-court season.
The ATP and WTA Tours were already off until 27
April and 2 May respectively.
The extension covers joint tournaments in Madrid
and Rome, plus women's events in Strasbourg and Rabat and men's events in
Munich, Estoril, Geneva and Lyon.
All men's and women's rankings have been frozen
until further notice.
- US Open
could also move after French Open is pushed back
On Tuesday, the French Open, due to begin on 24
May, announced it
would move and instead start in September, one week after the
end of the US Open.
Announcing the latest suspension, a statement from
the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and Women's Tennis Association
(WTA) said "now is not a time to act unilaterally, but in unison".
"The challenges presented by the Covid-19
pandemic to professional tennis demand greater collaboration than ever from
everyone in the tennis community in order for the sport to move forward
collectively in the best interest of players, tournaments and fans," the
statement added.
"We are assessing all options related to
preserving and maximising the tennis calendar based on various return dates for
the Tours, which remains an unknown at this time. We are committed to working
through these matters with our player and tournament members, and the other
governing bodies, in the weeks and months ahead.
"All decisions related to the impact of the
coronavirus require appropriate consultation and review with the stakeholders
in the game, a view that is shared by ATP, WTA, International Tennis
Federation, All England Lawn Tennis Club, Tennis Australia, and United States
Tennis Association."
Tournaments beginning on 8 June onwards are
planning to go ahead as scheduled. Nottingham is due to host a WTA event that
week, with tournaments at Queen's on 15 June and Eastbourne on 20 June.
Wimbledon is scheduled to take place from 29 June
until 12 July.
Tags
Tennis