China has had one of the strictest regulations on the pandemic and that continues to happen as it moves towards a country without COVID-19. Therefore, the prospect of hosting many events in this country has become impossible for the Association of male professional tennis players (ATP) and they have confirmed the cancellation of all tournaments in China for the third consecutive year.
These events will be replaced by 6 ATP 250 events with only 1 year licenses for this year. The ATP 250 in San Diego will return in the 38th week of the calendar, September 19. While the other five events in Seoul, Tel-Aviv, Florence, Gijon and Naples will take place in the 39-42 lunar weeks.
The ATP also confirmed that the Rakuten Japan Open will return this year as a 500 event and will accompany another 500 event in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan.
Speaking about the changes, ATP President Andrea Gaudenzi was delighted with the future opportunities in the market and donated to affected tournaments. As a global sport, we continue to deal with the impacts of the pandemic, Gaudenzi said on the ATP website. The cancellation of the event is a regrettable reality, and we hope our affected members and fans will stay healthy. At the same time, it is encouraging that many big cities will host ATP Tour tournaments this season.
This shows the strong international interest in our tournament and authenticates the quick approach we have taken to respond to rapidly changing situations. We would like to thank everyone involved in this process and look forward to the second half of the exciting season.
The ATP season will continue with the European schedule, with the season ending on November 13 at the ATP Finals in Turin.
