WTA Auckland: First women’s tournament 2021 canceled due to COVID-19
The tennis season 2021 will probably not bring the hoped-for normality back to the tour. With the WTA event in Auckland , the first tournament in the new calendar year has now been canceled due to COVID-19.
by Michael Rothschädl
last edit: Oct 06, 2020, 12:53 pm
The WTA International event in Auckland is actually an integral part of the preparation of many players for the Australian Open, which will open the Grand Slam season a few weeks after the tournament in New Zealand. Accordingly, the field of participants at the ASB Tennis Classics is mostly occupied, with Serena Williams a 23-time Grand Slam winner triumphing last year.
But nothing will come of that in 2021, as the New Zealand medium RNZ reported, ASB Tennis Classics will not take place in 2021 due to COVID-19. "We thought we had a robust plan, but unfortunately there was simply no way to make a decision that we could have made in the time it took," said tournament director Karl Budge.
No danger to the traditional tournament
Of course, it is incredibly sad to have to make this decision, but it was simply not possible for the organizers to set up a tournament in this tight time window that takes into account all the uncertainties due to the corona virus. "Like it or not, we have to grab it and move on," said Budge.
However, Budge makes it quite clear that this cancellation is by no means a general threat to the tournament in Auckland: "We have been here for 60 years and no virus will prevent the ASB Classic from becoming the annual showpiece that it has become and that we have known for a number of years. " They have received great support from the sponsors and will now do everything possible to return in 2022. Budge: "With a statement."