Tennis has been suspended globally through April 20, as public health and safety fears grow over the continued spread of COVID19, Coronavirus worldwide.
It comes following the cancellation of the Indian Wells and Miami Masters 1000 tournaments and the Fed Cup Finals as the current world health crisis continues to throw the sporting calendar into chaos.
All ATP Professional and Challenger circuit events have been suspended until at least April 27 with WTA and ITF events also on hold.
Speaking following the ATP Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi commented:
“This is not a decision that was taken lightly. It represents a great loss for our tournaments, players, and fans worldwide.
“However, we believe this is the responsible action needed at this time in order to protect the health and safety of our players, staff, the wider tennis community and general public health in the face of this global pandemic.”
The ATP further clarified that a decision regarding the possible freezing of the world rankings will be made in due course, as concerns were raised that players could find their current rankings unfairly harmed by the suspension of the tour, if previous season points continued to be subtracted.
The decision to temporarily suspend the tour comes following meetings with the ATP and WTA player councils in Indian Wells, where it became clear that a number of top players were unhappy at the potential of playing on through the current health crisis.
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