French Open Tennis confirms play for the Grand Slam will start in late September

Following discussions with the international tennis authorities – the ATP, WTA and ITF – the French Tennis Federation is delighted to announce that this year’s Roland-Garros tournament will be played over three weeks, from 21st September to 11th October 2020, providing the conditions relating to the COVID-19 health crisis allow it to go ahead. The Parisian Grand Slam has been granted an extra week of competition, which means the qualifying tournament can be played from 21st September.


After the decision to postpone the Roland-Garros tournament to 20th September - 4th October and the ensuing discussions with the international tennis authorities, the new international schedule drawn up by the ATP, WTA and ITF has granted the Roland-Garros tournament an extra week of competition. This way, the qualifying rounds will be played from Monday 21st to Friday 25th September and will be followed by the main draw from Sunday 27th September to 11th October.

In a bid to act responsibly, the FFT is now working with the French government to prepare for the tournament and set out suitable measures that will ensure the health and safety of all people present. All options will be considered and are susceptible to change.

“We are delighted that our discussions with the various international tennis authorities have allowed us to extend the 2020 edition of the Roland-Garros tournament to three weeks. In the current, difficult climate, we are well aware that it is a privilege to be able to hold Roland-Garros in its usual format. Especially since the qualifying tournament will help to financially support a category of professional players who have been severely affected by this unprecedented crisis. The responsible decision we made on 17th March to postpone the Roland-Garros tournament – the climax of the clay season – until the autumn means that the 2020 clay season can be saved, providing the current situation continues to improve. The Roland-Garros tournament is thus fulfilling its historic role as the clay-court world championships. The tournament in autumn 2020 will be a new chapter in Roland-Garros’ ongoing history,” explained Bernard Giudicelli, President of the FFT.

rolandgarros.com

The U.S. Open and Roland Garros are so close together that I have a feeling a lot of players will choose one or the other, but not both because even for the most elite of athletes having to play 4 weeks in a row would be exhausting. Assuming some of them show up at all.

WTA announces updated provisional playing schedule

ST. PETERSBURG, FL, USA - Subject to appropriate governmental and health-related approvals, the WTA has announced a plan for the WTA Tour to return to play this season. Competition is provisionally scheduled to begin the week of Monday, August 3 at the 31° Palermo Ladies Open in Italy following five months of suspension due to COVID-19.

The calendar is conditioned on several key factors including the ability for play to safely resume in line with the guidance of medical experts, governmental approval of sporting events, and relaxed travel policies. The WTA’s strategic plan and provisional Tour calendar is in alignment with the efforts of the ATP, ITF, USTA and FFT.

It is currently anticipated that tournaments will be held without fans and each tournament will have a limited footprint, with players and essential personnel only. WTA tournaments will be available for viewing on broadcast - for a list of WTA’s broadcast partners, click here.

"Having assessed the global outlook for travel in the latter half of the year, working with our medical experts on providing the safest environment possible, and working through the diverse operational challenges for running events safely in the context of COVID-19, the WTA is pleased to release a calendar for the remainder of the 2020 season," said WTA Chairman and CEO Steve Simon. "For now, the vital energy of spectators in stadiums will be greatly missed, but our broadcast and social media partners are exploring new ways to engage with our fantastic fans. It is our sincere hope and desire that we will be able to return to play this summer."

The calendar includes a total of 20 tournaments, beginning in Palermo. The WTA Tour’s return will see the Western & Southern Open, typically held in Cincinnati, Ohio, being hosted this year at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City -- the same site as, and a week prior to the US Open, which maintains its originally scheduled dates.

Following the US Open, the WTA Tour will continue to Europe with several red clay events, including the Mutua Madrid Open leading into Roland Garros, with Roland Garros qualifying scheduled the week of September 21 and main draw the following two weeks, concluding on October 11.

Thereafter, the WTA Tour will traverse across several countries in Europe and Asia-Pacific, including the China Open in Beijing, with another few weeks of tournament competition leading into the season-ending Shiseido WTA Finals Shenzhen set for November 9-15.


With the provisional plan to return to play this summer, the Porsche Race to Shenzhen will resume, with all points earned in 2020 eligible to count for qualification towards the Shiseido WTA Finals Shenzhen.

Due to various circumstances brought on by COVID-19, several WTA tournaments are unable to be held this year and will sit off the calendar in 2020.

Note: The Upper Austria Ladies Linz is planning to operate in the fall, date to be finalized.

WTA Rankings update

The WTA rankings have been frozen since March 16, 2020. A determination on the rankings process will be made in the coming weeks with respect to the most appropriate and fair way for the rankings to resume in parallel with the resumption of the Tour.

wtatennis.com

ATP Issues revised calendar for resumption of tennis

The ATP, in collaboration with the WTA, ITF, USTA and the FFT, has issued a revised provisional calendar that sets a pathway for the resumption of the Tour for the first time since the suspension of professional tennis in March due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The new-look ATP Tour calendar intends to resume on Friday 14 August with the Citi Open, the ATP 500 event in Washington, D.C., followed by the Western & Southern Open, the Cincinnati ATP Masters 1000 event, to be hosted at Flushing Meadows, in the lead up to the US Open (31 August – 13 September).

Following New York, the Mutua Madrid Open and the Internazionali BNL d'Italia, ATP Masters 1000 events on clay in Madrid and Rome, respectively, will take place in September ahead of Roland Garros in Paris (27 September – 11 October), which will also feature a singles qualifying draw the week prior.

The calendar is subject to change and continued assessments will be made relating to health & safety, international travel policies, and governmental approval of sporting events. All events will be held under strict guidelines related to health & safety, social distancing, reduced or no fans on-site. The ATP continues to explore all options for additional ATP 500 and 250 events to be added to the schedule, should circumstances allow.

A further update on the intended schedule beyond Roland Garros, including a possible Asia swing ahead of the European indoor swing culminating with the season-ending Nitto ATP Finals in London, is expected in mid-July.

“Our objective has been to reschedule as many tournaments as possible and salvage as much of the season as we can,” said Andrea Gaudenzi, ATP Chairman. “It has been a truly collaborative effort and we hope to add more events to the calendar as the situation evolves. I would like to recognise our tournaments’ efforts to operate during these challenging times, as well as our players who will be competing under different conditions. At every turn, ensuring that the resumption of the Tour takes place in a safe environment will be paramount.”

The ATP Challenger Tour will also resume from the week of 17 August, in parallel with the ITF World Tennis Tour.

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULING
The revised calendar includes the Generali Open, an ATP 250 event in Kitzbühel, which coincides with the second week of the US Open. Top 10 singles players will not be eligible to compete in Kitzbühel unless they have played, and already lost, at the US Open.

FEDEX ATP RANKINGS 

The FedEx ATP Rankings have been frozen since 16 March 2020. The ATP continues to monitor all global travel restrictions and general access to playing opportunities ahead of the resumption of the Tour.

As the situation continues to evolve on a weekly basis, a determination will be made in the coming weeks with respect to the most appropriate and fair way for the rankings to resume in parallel with the resumption of the Tour.

atptour.com

USTA announces U.S. Open and Western Southern Open Tennis as first live events to be played in August despite pandemic

The 2020 US Open will play as scheduled—preceded by the Western & Southern Open—with Governor's approval.

New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo endorsed playing the US Open starting August 31st—without fans and with safety protocols in place—in a tweet today.

More: US Open Will Play on Schedule

"The US Open will be held in Queens, NY, without fans from August 31 to September 13," Cuomo tweeted. "The USTA will take extraordinary precautions to protect players and staff, including robust testing, additional cleaning, extra locker room space, and dedicated housing & transportation."


The US Open will be the first Grand Slam to play since the coronavirus pandemic erupted.

Wimbledon cancelled for the first time in 75 years due to the virus.

The Flushing Meadows major is bringing the Queen City to Queens.

The USTA announced the Western & Southern Open, played annually in Cincinnati, will move to the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center and be contested before the US Open.

"We are incredibly excited that Governor Cuomo and New York State have today approved our plan to host the 2020 US Open and 2020 Western & Southern Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center," USTA CEO Mike Dowse said. "We recognize the tremendous responsibility of hosting one of the first global sporting events in these challenging times, and we will do so in the safest manner possible, mitigating all potential risks.

"We now can give fans around the world the chance to watch tennis' top athletes compete for a US Open title, and we can showcase tennis as the ideal social distancing sport."

tennisnow.com

Personally I think this is a monumentally bad idea. It's not only unfair to players and fans alike, but a Grand Slam without a crowd just seems pointless entertainment wise. 

Also how much does the USTA stand to gain financially with all the health restrictions/expenses with no crowds to bring in revenue?. I'm not sure that's feasible. 

I will be honestly surprised if even half of the top ten players agree to travel to the U.S. right now, especially New York City which is still a real hot spot for the virus. 

So again really not sure what the USTA is thinking. I am all for having live tennis again, but it is still unsafe and seems foolish to be putting people at risk for the sake of a few bucks. 

Also Roger Federer is not going to play so that's another minus in the column for me. I hope the players stand their ground and refuse. 

Can't put on an event without participants.

Roger Federer undergoes 2nd arthroscopic knee surgery will not play till 2021

Roger Federer announced on Wednesday that he recently underwent a "quick arthroscopic procedure" on his right knee, and he will not play until 2021.

“A few weeks ago, having experienced a setback during my initial rehabilitation, I had to have an additional quick arthroscopic procedure on my right knee,” Federer tweeted. “Now, much like I did leading up to the 2017 season, I plan to take the necessary time to be 100 per cent ready to play at my highest level. I will be missing my fans and the tour dearly. But, I will look forward to seeing everyone back on tour at the start of the 2021 season.”

Federer underwent surgery on the same knee in February. The Swiss' initial plan following that surgery was to return during the grass-court season.

The 38-year-old's lone tournament of 2020 came at the Australian Open, where he reached the semi-finals. Eventual champion Novak Djokovic defeated him in straight sets.

No big loss here I honestly highly doubt any of the 2020 tennis season will happen at this point. I know U.S. Open and Roland Garros are holding out hope, but I think that's all it is right now. 

Even if both somehow were to happen the likelihood of all players wanting to participate much less travel are slim to none.

So rest up Roger, here's to a speedy recovery and a fantastic 2021 season *fingers crossed*

atptour.com