ATP Tour cancels all events in China for the season amidst strict Covid-19 restrictions

ATP Tour cancels all events in China for the season amidst strict Covid-19 restrictions

Andrea Gaudenzi, Chief of the ATP Tour and Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena, venue of the Shanghai Masters

The ATP Tour has confirmed a big overhaul in events for the remainder of the season as the Asian leg of the Tour will be affected heavily by the new announcements. With the Covid-19 restrictions being strengthened in China, all events in the region have been cancelled while a couple of new events have been added to the Calendar to fill in the gaps.

The cancelled events are the ATP-250 events in Chengdu and Zhuhai with both the events originally scheduled to be played out in the week starting from 26th September. The following week from 3rd October was supposed to see the ATP-500 China Open being played along with the ATP-500 Japan Open. With the new announcements, the event in China is cancelled yet again with Tokyo going as per schedule. The biggest hit China will take will be the 2022 Shanghai Masters scheduled to start on 9th October and will remain absent for the 3rd year in a row.

Also Read: “He is a visible reminder of vaccine failure” Former UN under-secretary spills the beans on Novak Djokovic’s forced deportation from a ‘totalitarian’ Australia

YouTube video

ATP Tour announces 6 new events for the year

ATP Tour
ATP Tour

With important gaps to fill, ATP has also decided to involve 6 new ATP-250 tournaments for the year with all of them granted a year-long license which could be renewed upon the Tour’s discretion as per next year’s situation. The six new events will be spread across the globe and will be held in San Diego, Seoul, Tel Aviv, Florence, Gijon and Napoli with the events in Tel Aviv, Florence and Gijon to be played on indoor hardcourts while the other three will be played on outdoor hardcourts.

While many fans hoped that the ATP Tour will follow the footsteps of their colleagues on the WTA Tour and abandon all events in China as the safety and security of Peng Shuai remains unconfirmed, one way or the other, despite ATP’s lack of support and commitment, there won’t be any tennis played in the region for another year.

Also Read: “He will do something interesting” Roger Federer has old rival Fernando Gonzalez’s backing for a fruitful comeback

Also Read: “Spoken like a good little comrade” Fans bash 4-time Olympics Gold medallist Alexander Tikhonov for his misogynist comments about Daria Kasatkina’s coming out

Follow our page FirstSportz Tennis for the latest updates.