In the wake of the curent novel coronavirus crisis, the Association for Tennis Professionals (ATP) and Women's Tennis Association (WTA) have once again announced a further suspension of all the professional tennis events until at least July 13.
In a joint statement released by the ATP and WTA said that besides Wimbledon, all the tennis events due to take place before July 13,2020 has been cancelled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
"In addition to Wimbledon, the suspension covers the entirety of the ATP/WTA European grass court swing, including ATP events in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, Stuttgart, London-Queen’s, Halle, Mallorca, Eastbourne, as well as WTA events in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, Nottingham, Birmingham, Berlin, Eastbourne and Bad Homburg," the ATP official website quoted an official statement as saying.
"The ATP and WTA realise the importance and responsibility to prioritise the health and safety of the tennis community and general public while assessing the feasibility of the Tours’ resumption,"the statement added.
The statement further said that all the tournaments taking place from July 13 onwards are still planning to go ahead as per schedule as of now.
Reflecting on the development, ATP chairman Andrea Gaudenzi said that the current pandemic situation leaves the board with no choice but to suspend the events for sometime, adding that the decision has been made following a discussion with members and other governing bodies.
“Health and safety remains the top priority as we navigate the challenges ahead in these unprecedented times, and we will do everything we can for the Tour to resume at the earliest opportunity once it is safe to do so," he said.
WTA chairman Steve Simon, on the other hand, said, “While we share in the disappointment of the season’s further postponement, our priority remains to support each other during this unprecedented time and work together as a sport in preparation of our return to play.”
Earlier, Wimbledon had announced the cancellation of the championship--which was slated to begin on June 29 this year-- due to coronavirus outbreak. This is the first time that Wimbledon has been cancelled since World War II.
Last month, the ATP and WTA had announced the suspension of the game till June 7 in the wake of deadly coronavirus that was termed 'pandemic' by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
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