Tournament & Tour Announcements

[ponchi101]

But also, Wimbledon is not going to move their tournament for the benefit of others, so it is not only the FFT, there is a little bit of being a jerk from the part of the AELTC.

[the Moz]

But also, Wimbledon is not going to move their tournament for the benefit of others, so it is not only the FFT, there is a little bit of being a jerk from the part of the AELTC.

In the time of COVID there will be two RG to one Wimbledon, so I'm okay with the All England Club's alleged jerkiness.

[JazzNU]

But also, Wimbledon is not going to move their tournament for the benefit of others, so it is not only the FFT, there is a little bit of being a jerk from the part of the AELTC.

Can't believe I'm defending them since I'm not the biggest fan, but I think FFT remains the jerk and AELTC has their hands tied here. With the Olympics scheduled to kick off less than 2 weeks after the end of Wimbledon, had they pushed their tournament back a week to help the smaller grass tournaments, then that would've been the jerk move.

I'm sure it works differently depending on the country, but I'd imagine it is something along the lines of - by the Monday after Wimbledon ends, all Olympic-bound athletes need to return home countries immediately, and get ready to meet the rest of the national team later that week. And then wheels up early the following week, which is the same week that the Olympics begins.


If there's a second jerk GS here, it's the Aussie Open imo. Suffered no financial loss in 2020, and caused a monumental shift in 2021's schedule with their delay and is basically going to coast on getting any of the blame for the schedule crunch the rest of the 2021 season because it's already in the rearview mirror.

[ti-amie]

The Tennis One app works just fine. I'm getting rid of the ATP app.

[JazzNU]

I use Tennis24 and Tennis One apps and really like them both.

[ti-amie]

Here's the full image of Sloane.

[JazzNU]

That seems ambitious for Kim, I hope that means she is close to returning . Or maybe she'll be able to play an exhibition regardless of whether she's able to return to the tour?

And I'm glad Atlanta Open is at least trying. Their last tournament was embarrassing to watch.

[JazzNU]

WTA adds two new 250 tournaments in Parma and Hamburg to 2021 calendar

The WTA has today announced two exciting additions to the 2021 calendar in the form of new WTA 250 tournaments to be held in Parma, Italy and Hamburg, Germany.

Scheduled for the week of May 17, the Emilia Romagna Open will be held in Parma in northern Italy and played on red clay. It will feature a 32-player singles main draw and a 16-team doubles draw, while an additional six players will be able to enter the singles main draw via a 24-player qualifying draw. The event in Parma is being organized in collaboration with MEF Tennis Events, who after many successful years running ATP Challenger events, are now working with the WTA for the first time.

The second addition to the calendar is also an outdoor red clay event, with the WTA Tour heading to Germany for the Hamburg European Open during the week of July 5, coinciding with the second week of The Championships, Wimbledon.

Hamburg previously held a WTA tournament in the 1980s through the early 2000s, and the 2021 edition will feature a 28-player singles main draw (16-player qualifying draw) and a 16-team doubles draw.

WTA Chairman and CEO Steve Simon commented, “The WTA is committed to offering as many playing and earning opportunities for our members as possible, and we look forward to bringing the WTA Tour to Parma and Hamburg this season, enhancing women’s tennis even more this year.”


https://www.wtatennis.com/news/2114065/ ... 1-calendar

[ti-amie]

[ti-amie]

[JazzNU]

I didn't see it mentioned elsewhere but AELTC made announcements yesterday about Wimbledon. Among other things they announced they plan to have at least 25% capacity in the stands and the biggie, in a break with long standing tradition, Wimbledon will be played on the Middle Sunday this year and going forward.

https://www.wimbledon.com/en_GB/news/ar ... _2021.html

[ponchi101]

More pummeling on Centre Court? With modern long rallies I wonder how much more wear can the back of the court take.
I wonder how they can replace the grass for the second week. Tiles? (like, a block of grass that can be put together in one day, and then have gardeners mow and trim. And I am sober...)

[JazzNU]

More pummeling on Centre Court? With modern long rallies I wonder how much more wear can the back of the court take.
I wonder how they can replace the grass for the second week. Tiles? (like, a block of grass that can be put together in one day, and then have gardeners mow and trim. And I am sober...)

Are you though?


From the announcement on their site:


What about the grass courts?

- Traditionally, Middle Sunday has provided a vital opportunity to water the courts, particularly Centre Court, which is the most heavily used.

- With thanks to improved grass court technology and maintenance over the past five years or so and other measures, we are now comfortable that the courts, most particularly Centre Court, can be maintained without a full day of rest.

- Across the 14 days, we will be maximising all windows to provide additional water to the courts to keep the grass plant in good condition, in particular on Centre Court, and we will also take minimising wear into account in our scheduling decisions.

- The steaming process that we have introduced has seen better wear tolerance in the grass plant and will be something we continue to invest in.

- Ultimately, grass remains a living, natural surface which is susceptible to fluctuations in weather and temperature, and so the measures we need to take will adapt accordingly to best maintain the courts.

[ti-amie]

Tennis Canada issues a statement on the status of the 2021 National Bank Open presented by Rogers
MAY 12, 2021

WRITTEN BY Tennis Canada



Three months away from the 2021 edition of the National Bank Open presented by Rogers, Tennis Canada would like to provide an update regarding the status of the tournaments. The WTA 1000 event is scheduled to take place in Montreal, August 7-15, while the ATP Tour Masters 1000 event is scheduled to take place in Toronto, August 7-15.

Tennis Canada has held productive dialogue with all levels of government in Canada, as well as the ATP and WTA Tours, regarding their health guidelines. We will implement strict protocols for all involved in our tournaments to ensure everyone’s safety. At this point, our priority is to host the 2021 National Bank Open presented by Rogers in Toronto and Montreal in August, and we are hopeful the improving vaccination situation in Canada will bode well for our tournaments.

That being said, as the National Bank Open has historically accounted for 90% of the revenue Tennis Canada successfully invests in the development of the sport each year, it is critical that we host our 2021 tournaments. Therefore, our team is doing its due diligence to ensure all options are being considered to give us the best possible chance of staging successful events this year, including the possibility of finding an alternative site to host our tournaments in the United States, should we exhaust our options in Canada.

“We remain confident there are still multiple options for our tournaments to be held in Montreal and Toronto this August, such as in broadcast-only or limited-fan models, both of which have already been planned for in detail,” stated Eugène Lapierre, Tournament Director of the Montreal National Bank Open. “We continue to keep our key corporate partners, including National Bank and Rogers Communications, updated regarding the various scenarios and they remain supportive. Tennis Canada has also held preliminary conversations with the USTA to discuss what options might be available as an alternative in the United States. However, it is important to understand this would be considered only after we have exhausted our options in Canada.”

“We are hopeful the improving vaccination situation in Canada is a positive sign for this year’s National Bank Open presented by Rogers events, and as such we continue to focus and work on hosting our tournaments in Toronto and Montreal in August,” stated Gavin Ziv, Managing Director of the Toronto National Bank Open. “We must remain patient and flexible as a final decision regarding the National Bank Open will not be made until a date closer to the tournaments. We continue to plan for all scenarios with the health and safety of players, fans, staff and the general public being our top priority.”

https://nationalbankopen.com/news/tenni ... _campaign=

[Deuce]

Tennis Canada issues a statement on the status of the 2021 National Bank Open presented by Rogers
MAY 12, 2021

WRITTEN BY Tennis Canada

As is often the case, all of that writing can be summed up by saying "We don't know what will happen with the tournament."