ATP tour: CEO Andrea Gaudenzi does not want to write off the 2020 season
ATP Tour boss Andrea Gaudenzi does not want to prematurely call the cancellation of the entire international tennis tournament season. "It would be unwise to do that now. Nobody knows what will happen, we want to keep an optimistic approach," said Gaudenzi in an interview with Reuters .
by APA / tennisnet
last edit: May 10, 2020, 09:36 am
There are some options, such as ghost games, and travel restrictions are an important factor, according to the Italian. Most recently, Dominic Thiem and Rafael Nadal, among others, had expressed doubts as to whether tournaments could even take place this year given the worldwide rampant corona virus.
Because of the Corona crisis, all men's tournaments have been canceled since mid-March until mid-July. It is unclear what will happen afterwards. Wimbledon has already been canceled, the French Open are hoping to be held in late summer after the US Open.
“We have a deadline on May 15th for all tournaments in July that should take place after Wimbledon. On June 1st we decide on the tournaments in August. It would be stupid to make decisions in advance, "said Gaudenzi. The lead time for the following tournaments is six to eight weeks.
And further: "It is very likely that it will be very difficult for all countries to set up the same rules regarding travel restrictions. Australia, for example, is in a completely different phase than Great Britain. Sweden has a completely different approach. We could probably already play a tournament in Sweden today But could 100 players travel to Sweden? No, that's the challenge. "
Gaudenzi welcomes aid funds
Gaudenzi was delighted with the $ 6 million aid fund, which is expected to benefit players in the lower rankings. The ATP set this up together with the WTA, the ITF and the board of the four major tournaments.
"It was a great achievement. I hope this is just the beginning of a future productive collaboration that our sport needs. It is great news," said Gaudenzi, who took the lead at ATP in January.
Gaudenzi hope that more money will go into the fund. "Nobody knows how long it will take. If we can play again soon it will be okay. If it takes longer we will run out of money," he said.