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ATP boss Andrea Gaudenzi: "We have to stop fighting"

ATP's new chairman, Andrea Gaudenzi , called for more unity in a roundtable in Italy. And thinks a clay court season after the US Open is a good option.

by Florian Goosmann
last edit: Apr 09, 2020, 09:11 am

Andrea Gaudenzi
© Ubitennis
Andrea Gaudenzi

Gaudenzi, who succeeded long-time ATP boss Chris Kermode, has had a challenging start so far. First the bushfires in Australia, now the corona crisis, which also presents tennis with unprecedented uncertainty. So far, however, Gaudenzi has done a lot right, starting with the cancellation of the Masters tournament in Indian Wells, at a time when many hadn't even expected the current situation. /

"Our immediate strategy was to protect public health and safety. We canceled Indian Wells while the NBA season was still going on - a risky decision considering that players were already in California and ready to go to the tournament " Gaudenzi said . We thought about putting it behind closed doors, but after some consideration we decided against it." The current break can be used sensibly in tennis: for self-reflection and long-term planning. "To create a future that we want for our sport."

The unauthorized relocation of the French Open has shown that tennis needs stricter regulations so that tournaments can coexist. Sanctions, such as the thought of not awarding ATP points to Roland Garros this year, do not appear to be on the table.

Sand tour after the US Open?

"I have spoken to every member, Roger, Rafa, Djokovic, and everyone agrees that our philosophy should be to host the most prestigious events," he said . "Even if everything is hypothetical, it still makes sense to postpone the French Open until September. While there is no point in postponing the US Open by two or three weeks. If tennis doesn't resume in early September, I very much doubt that it will be the end of the month. Now we’re talking about the calendar of the season, but you should know that we have developed about 50 different versions and had to shuffle them every day. We also have to take into account that some things are already set in stone : For example, the o2 arena is exclusively available for the ATP final this week (November 15-22). " This applies to most indoor spaces, including Vienna and Basel - multi-purpose halls are the key word here. "Ideally, we would like to reschedule two Masters 1000s on sand either before or after the French Open."

A four-week clay swing after the US Open was an idea. "The best scenario would be to have the North American swing in the summer, then the sand, then Asia and then the ATP finals. With seven Masters 1000s and three slams, there wouldn't be much room for complaints. If the US Open were canceled, it would The complexity of the situation is increasing exponentially as we should play in November and December as well, but for now we are focusing on restarting after the Wimbledon slot. "

Gaudenzi: "It makes no sense to support the top 50

However, a situation must also be considered if the travel restrictions remain in place. "We don't want to become a regional sport because that would be a step backwards and also create a ranking problem since the best players would compete against each other in different leagues. However, it is certainly an option, even if it is not our preferred choice."

There are also many concerns about the financial side. "We'll look at Challenger tournaments and 250s events first, along with the players who rank between 250 and 500 because they're the needy. There's no point supporting the top 50 or slams."

by Florian Goosmann

Thursday
Apr 09, 2020, 10:38 am
last edit: Apr 09, 2020, 09:11 am