Coronavirus: future of tennis tournaments in China bleak if Covid-19 situation doesn’t improve, says ATP boss
- ATP chairman Andrea Gaudenzi says situation will have to improve rapidly for Shanghai Masters and three other men’s tournaments to take place
- Players unlikely to agree to travel to mainland China if strict coronavirus protocols aren’t eased
The prospects of the Shanghai Masters and three other men’s tournaments taking place in China this year look bleak unless there is a rapid improvement in the Covid-19 situation in the country, Andrea Gaudenzi, the ATP chairman, has said.
China hosted the Winter Olympics under strict health protocols in February but almost every other international sporting event in the country this year has been cancelled or postponed.
The four events, including the Masters, are scheduled for September and October and Gaudenzi said a decision on their fate would be taken within the next month.
“The decision will be made soon. We are discussing with them on the protocols and on the way [forward],” Gaudenzi said told Reuters. “But I think if the protocols are too strict, it will be quite unlikely that we can have the players fly there and do quarantines. The situation is pretty challenging in China.
“We haven’t made a decision but we expect to make a decision in the coming month or so.”
The French Open was recently held without any health restrictions and it is unlikely players would agree to go to China if there was any period of isolation involved.
In addition to the October 9 to 16 Shanghai Masters, China is expected to host the Chengdu Open and Zhuhai Championships, both starting on September 26, and the China Open from October 3 to 9 in Beijing.