Tag: ATP

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ATP cancels 2022 events in China due to COVID

ATP cancels 2022 events in China due to COVID

The Shanghai Masters and three other men’s tournaments in China will not be held this year due to the country’s COVID-19 restrictions, the ATP Tour said on Thursday.

China hosted the Winter Olympics under strict health protocols in February but almost every other international sporting event in the country this year has been cancelled or postponed.

ATP Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi told Reuters in June that the prospects for the 2022 China swing were bleak.

“This marks the third year of cancellation for the ATP’s China swing, typically hosted in September and October and last staged in 2019, prior to the pandemic,” the ATP said in a statement.

As of July 20, mainland China had confirmed 228,180 cases of COVID with symptoms since the pandemic first struck in December 2019.

Although the number is small by global standards, authorities in China are sticking to a stringent zero-COVID policy, while other countries have relaxed their rules and chosen to live with the virus.

The French Open and Wimbledon were recently held without any health restrictions and it was unlikely players would have agreed to go to China if there was any period of isolation involved.

In addition to the Oct. 9-16 Shanghai Masters, China was scheduled to host the Chengdu Open and Zhuhai Championships, both starting on Sep. 26, and the China Open from Oct. 3-9 in Beijing.

To fill the hole in the calendar left by the cancellation of the China events, the men’s body said it has granted single-year event licenses to six ATP 250 tournaments.

“As a global sport we continue to manage the impacts of the pandemic,” Gaudenzi said. “Event cancellations are an unfortunate reality, and we wish our affected tournament members and fans well.

“At the same time, it’s incredibly encouraging to have many great cities step up to host ATP Tour tennis this season.”

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ATP cancels 2022 events in China due to COVID restrictions

ATP cancels 2022 events in China due to COVID restrictions

The Shanghai Masters and three other men’s tournaments in China will not be held this year due to COVID-19 restrictions in the country, the ATP Tour said on Thursday.

China hosted the Winter Olympics under strict health protocols in February but almost every other international sporting event in the country this year has been cancelled or postponed.

ATP Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi told Reuters last month that the prospects of the 2022 China swing were bleak.

“This marks the third year of cancellation for the ATP’s China swing, typically hosted in September and October and last staged in 2019, prior to the pandemic,” the men’s governing body said in a statement.

As of July 20, mainland China had confirmed 228,180 cases of COVID-19 with symptoms since the pandemic first struck in December 2019.

Although the number is small by global standards, authorities in China are sticking to a stringent zero-COVID policy, while other countries have relaxed their rules and chosen to live with the virus.

The French Open and Wimbledon were recently held without any health restrictions and it was unlikely players would have agreed to go to China if there was any period of isolation involved.

The women’s tour has no events scheduled in China for 2022 as the WTA works to find a resolution to the standoff with China over Peng Shuai.

Former doubles world number one Peng’s wellbeing became a concern for the WTA after she posted a message on social media last November accusing China’s former Vice-Premier Zhang Gaoli of sexual assault.

In addition to the Oct. 9-16 Shanghai Masters, China was scheduled to host the Chengdu Open and Zhuhai Championships, both starting on Sept. 26, and the China Open from Oct. 3-9 in Beijing.

To fill the hole in the calendar left by the cancellation of the China events, the men’s body said it has granted single-year event licenses to six ATP 250 tournaments.

“As a global sport we continue to manage the impacts of the pandemic,” Gaudenzi said. “Event cancellations are an unfortunate reality, and we wish our affected tournament members and fans well.

“At the same time, it’s incredibly encouraging to have many great cities step up to host ATP Tour tennis this season.”

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WTA joins ATP in opting against stripping ranking points from LTA events

LTA events are expected to keep their WTA ranking points ©Getty Images

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Russia banned from team events, players can still compete on ATP, WTA Tours

Russia banned from team events, players can still compete on ATP, WTA Tours

Russia has been banned from defending its Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup titles but its players will still be allowed to compete at the Grand Slams and in regular tour events.

The decision by tennis authorities follows Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last week. Belarus, a key staging area for the invasion, which Russia says is a “special operation”, has also been banned from the international team competitions.

“The international governing bodies of tennis stand united in our condemnation of Russia’s actions,” the ATP, WTA, International Tennis Federation and the Grand Slams said in a joint statement.

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Russian and Belarusian players will be able to play on the elite ATP and WTA Tours but not under the name or flag of their countries, the governing bodies said.


Ukrainian tennis player Svitolina won’t play Russian opponent unless tours act

Djokovic splits with long-time coach Vajda
 

Men’s world number one Daniil Medvedev and number six Andrey Rublev helped Russia beat Croatia in the 2021 Davis Cup final in Madrid in December a month after the Russian women won the Billie Jean King Cup in Prague.

The tennis authorities also suspended Moscow’s combined WTA-ATP event scheduled for October.

It is unclear whether Russia will be able to compete in the lucrative team-based ATP Cup in Australia. Russia made the semi-finals of the 2022 event in January and won the 2021 tournament.

The ITF said it had suspended the Russian Tennis Federation and Belarus Tennis Federation’s memberships and withdrawn their entries from all ITF team competition until further notice.

The decision followed the ITF’s cancellation of all its tournaments in Russia and Belarus.

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ATP Challenger event returning to Calgary after one-year hiatus

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Feb 08, 2022  •  32 minutes ago  •  3 minute read  •  Join the conversation

Arthur Rinderknech from France was the singles champion at the 2020 Calgary National Bank Challenger in Calgary on March 1, 2020.
Arthur Rinderknech from France was the singles champion at the 2020 Calgary National Bank Challenger in Calgary on March 1, 2020. Photo by Darren Makowichuk/Postmedia

The health challenge — they hope — is behind them.

So The Challenger is once again in front of pro tennis enthusiasts of the city.

The ATP announced Tuesday that the Calgary National Bank Challenger will return to Calgary’s OSTEN & VICTOR Alberta Tennis Centre in 2022 after a one-year hiatus due to COVID.

“It’s very important to bring the event back,” said Danny Da Costa, CEO of the OSTEN & VICTOR Alberta Tennis Centre. “We decided not to run the event in 2021 due to the ongoing pandemic, but we are optimistic that we can return the event to pre-pandemic status in 2022.  

“We have received a lot of interest and feedback from past competitors, fans, sponsors and players in the tennis community who want the event to return, and we are confident that we will deliver another world-class event this November.”

The ATP Challenger Tour stop — the largest of the loop’s indoor tournament in Canada — is slated for Nov. 6-13, to be exact.

It will be the opening serve of a three-year renewal between the ATP and the tennis centre in southeast Calgary.

And it marks the third instalment of the tourney on the second-tier circuit of pro tennis, a feeder to the ATP Tour.

“Our event has quickly gained a reputation as one of the premier sporting events in Alberta. and many of the players have mentioned that The Challenger is one of the best challengers in the world,” Da Costa said. “It has quickly become a must-attend event.

“The uniqueness of our event is that it’s held in a tennis club to ensure fans can get up-close and personal to the players,” continued Da Costa. “The success of the event has allowed us to attract some of the best emerging tennis talent on the planet.”

Indeed, The Challenger has attracted former and current top 20 players, including Casper Ruud — currently the No. 8 player in the ATP rankings — Ivo Karlovic — the 2018 Challenger champ and former No. 14 in the world — and Canadian and Davis Cup star Vasek Pospisil — a former top 25 player.

Canada’s Vasek Pospisil in action at the ATP Tour 250 in Sofia, Bulgaria, on Nov. 14, 2020.
Canada’s Vasek Pospisil in action at the ATP Tour 250 in Sofia, Bulgaria, on Nov. 14, 2020. Photo by REUTERS/Stoyan Nenov

France star Arthur Rinderknech, who is now ranked 60th in the world, won the 2020 edition of The Challenger.

The talent drawn to Calgary’s tour stop has helped make it a quick success.

“We are entering into the golden era of tennis in Canada, and tennis has never been this popular in this country, so I am not surprised by it,” said Da Costa, when asked about how much the event has achieved in such a short time. “Tennis players are among the most recognized names in sport. Locally, there is a lot of interest in tennis in Calgary.”

Gavin Ziv, Tennis Canada’s senior vice-president of professional events, agrees. 

“We know how important the Challenger circuit is for the players and how much they enjoy the Calgary event,” Ziv said. “It is especially important for our Canadian players to have the chance to accumulate crucial points in the rankings and compete against international players, particularly after a difficult couple of years.

“We are delighted that professional tennis is returning to Calgary.”

Tickets go on sale in the coming weeks.

For more information on the event, visit calgary.nationalbankchallenger.com or albertatenniscentre.ca.

“We partner with over 100 Alberta based companies, so this event is well-supported by the community,” Da Costa added. “We have created some unique opportunities to engage new fans and partner with the corporate community. We firmly believe that this event will become a staple in the Alberta sporting community for many years to come.

“Our facility expansion this spring will allow us to also increase the number of outreach activities — such as clinics, events and sponsor activations — and hopefully, in 2023, we can introduce a combined women’s and men’s pro event.”

tsaelhof@postmedia.com

http://www.twitter.com/ToddSaelhofPM

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