Montreal canceled, Toronto shaky - is it only played in Europe?
After the WTA Premier tournament in Montreál was canceled on Saturday, there are also big question marks behind the ATP Masters 1000 event in Toronto.
by tennisnet.com
last edit:
Apr 12, 2020, 09:23 am
No major public events until the end of August - that was the order of the regional government of the Canadian state of Quebec. And it is already clear that the WTA Premier 5 tournament in Montreal cannot be played this year. Double bitter for the Canadian tennis fans, after all Bianca Andreescu won the title in Toronto in 2019. And would have gotten back in shape this summer to defend it.
However, top-class tennis will not be available in Montreal again until 2021, when it would be the turn of the men. Their appearance in Toronto this year is also hanging by a thread. "It's a very sad day," said Tennis Canada President Michael Downey. “Our tournament in Montreal is one of the best in the world and has more than 200,000 fans every year. We would have loved to see Bianca come back as defending champion, also because we have never had anything like it in our recent past. So it's really sad, but of course we fully understand the reasons. ”
Tennis Canada loses a lot of money
In addition to the moral aspect, there is also a financial component that should not be underestimated: the two big summer tournaments, which should have been held this year from August 7th to 16th, generate 94 percent of the income that Tennis Canada uses to raise its children promotes. And in addition to Andreescu, players like Eugenie Bouchard, Denis Shapovalov , Félix Auger-Aliassime or, as a recent example, Leylah Annie Fernandez have emerged from this.
With regard to the situation in the neighboring United States, it can be assumed that this summer, if at all, professional tennis can only be played in some European countries. So there is a possibility that the professionals can travel to the potential tournament locations. Officially, game play on the WTA and ATP tours will be interrupted until July 12th.