The organizers of Citi Open announced on Tuesday that the event that was scheduled to be held in Washington, has been canceled for the year 2020. It was set to be one of the first events to restart the men's ATP Tour after interruptions caused by the COVID-19 shutdown.
Mark Ein, Chairman of the tournament said in a statement, "After months of tireless work by our team and close collaboration with our many stakeholders, we are heartbroken to announce that we must unfortunately postpone the 52nd Citi Open until the summer of 2021."
Meant To Be Build-up for US Open
The tournament was set to begin on August 14 and serve as a build-up for the US Open but the organizers said concerns about travel restrictions and recent trends in the coronavirus outbreak had led to the decision to scrap the event.
"... There are too many unresolved external issues, including various international travel restrictions as well as troubling health and safety trends, that have forced us to make this decision now in fairness to our players, suppliers and partners, so that they can have certainty around their planning," added Ein.
Joins the List of Tennis Events Canceled
The tournament's cancellation raises doubts about this year's US Open, which is scheduled to be played without fans in attendance from August 31 to September 13. The ATP said it continues to work closely with the United States Tennis Association (USTA) on the Western & Southern Open and the Grand Slam at Flushing Meadows, which are scheduled to take place back-to-back in New York, beginning on August 20.
Tennis, apart from some exhibition events, ground to a halt in mid-March, with Wimbledon being canceled and the French Open being moved to September. The men's claycourt swing is scheduled to begin on September 8 in Kitzbuhel, Austria, overlapping with the second week of the US Open. Players will then be able to get more time on clay at the Madrid and Italian Opens before the French Open, which begins on September 27.
The WTA Tour will resume with the women's event staged in Palermo, Italy from August 3. The ATP said a further update on the revised 2020 calendar will be released in the next fortnight, including the final phase of the season through to the ATP Finals in November.
(With inputs from agencies)
