Talk About Tennis 2.0

Hard to find a truly ugly town in Italy.

Associated Press


LONDON -- Wimbledon organizers are expecting to have a reduced number of spectators for this year's tournament because of coronavirus restrictions.

The All England Club said Thursday it was remaining "flexible" as it reacts to changing circumstances amid the pandemic as the British government follows a road map out of lockdown.

"We want to ensure that we can leave decisions on public capacity as late as we can in order to welcome the maximum number of guests," said the All England Club, which scrapped the tournament last year for the first time since World War II.

There will be a mandatory requirement for all players, their support teams and tennis officials to be in an official tournament hotel rather than in private houses, the club said.

"Although the promise of a return to a more normal existence is on the horizon, we are not there yet," All England Club chairman Ian Hewitt said.

There will no official ballot for tickets this year, with organizers instead providing an online platform for ticket sales sometime in June. Wimbledon is scheduled to run from June 28-July 11.

Because of the likelihood of continued social distancing requirements, there will not be a ticket resale operation. That means the absence of one of the defining sights of Wimbledon: the long line of people around the grounds of the All England Club.


https://www.espn.com/tennis/story/_/id/ ... tournament

Fans in any number is most welcome

This might be an April 1st joke, FYI. They announced dogs in place of ball boys in the past if memory serves.

Update, there are enough people thinking like I am that I'll edit this for the time being. I don't think this one is true.

RIO DE JANEIRO -- This year's Rio Open tennis tournament was canceled Thursday because of the spike in COVID-19 cases in Brazil, organizers said.

The ATP tournament had already been postponed from its original February dates, and organizers said the continued uncertainty around the pandemic meant it would not be rescheduled.

"We fought until the end to be able to play in 2021, but unfortunately it is not possible," said tournament director Luiz Carvalho.

The coronavirus has killed more than 320,000 people in the South American nation, with March its deadliest month since the pandemic began.

Organizers said next year's tournament would be played in February. The 2020 Rio Open champion was Chile's Cristian Garin.

https://www.espn.com/tennis/story/_/id/ ... d-19-spike

MADRID -- The cities of Innsbruck in Austria and Turin in Italy will co-host the Davis Cup Finals along with the Spanish capital of Madrid this year, the International Tennis Federation said Monday.

Madrid was the sole host of the inaugural edition of the revamped event in 2019, and it was going to repeat as host by itself last year before the tournament was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The federation said Innsbruck and Turin were selected after submitting what organizers called "impressive bids that not only promise a world class experience for players and fans, but also include stringent measures to ensure the health and safety of all in attendance."

Each city will host two of the six groups in the international team event. Madrid will stage two groups as well as two quarterfinal series, the semifinals and the final. Innsbruck and Turin will get one quarterfinal each.

The competition will take place on hard courts from Nov. 25-Dec. 5.

"The three-venue, 11-day format will improve the schedule for players, enhance the experience for fans and bring the competition to a wider audience," David Cup Finals organizers said. "The three venues selected are of similar playing conditions with good transport links and a strong overall infrastructure."

Organizers said it was important to find two European cities "that were well connected to Madrid, with similar playing conditions, to provide a smooth transition for players traveling from other venues."

The location of the event in Madrid will change from the "Magic Box" tennis complex to the Madrid Arena. The venue in Innsbruck will be the Olympia-Halle and Turin will stage matches at the Alpitour Arena.

Each city will host the country's national team at the group stage.

Host Spain won the 2019 edition of the competition, which had its finals played in a single venue for the first time.


https://www.espn.com/tennis/story/_/id/ ... cup-finals

^^ These dates are insane. Finals are already super late and now this? The offseason is becoming nonexistent and it wasn't much to write home about to begin with. Not sure if this is all coming down to the Aussie Open delay, but they've got to work on it.

WTA ANNOUNCES NEXT PHASE OF 2021 TOUR CALENDAR
Latest calendar highlights the next nine weeks, which includes two WTA 1000 events, one WTA 500, six WTA 250 tournaments and an extended series of WTA 125 events.

By Press Release

ST PETERSBURG, FL, USA - The WTA has today released an extended 2021 WTA Tour calendar outlining the next phase of tournaments this season following Wimbledon through the US Open.

Having previously announced the first 27 weeks of the 2021 season, the latest calendar highlights the next nine weeks, which includes two WTA 1000 events, one WTA 500, six WTA 250 tournaments and an extended series of WTA 125 events.

The provisional calendar reflects changes from the previous season including:

Week 20 (May 17) –Anning, China moves to Belgrade, Serbia (2021 only)
Week 21 (May 24) – Strasbourg moves to week 21 with Roland Garros taking place in weeks 22-23
Week 23 (June 7) – Nottingham under discussion, update forthcoming
Week 28 (July 12) – WTA 250 tournament in Bucharest, Romania moves to Budapest, Hungary
Week 28 (July 12) – WTA 250 Prague moves from May to the summer and changes from clay to hardcourt
Week 29 (July 19) - Washington, DC moves to Gdynia, Poland and changes from hardcourt to red clay
Week 34 (August 23) - New WTA 250 hardcourt event in Cleveland, Ohio

The 2021 edition of tournaments in Cologne and ‘s-Hertogenbosch will unfortunately not operate this year but look forward to returning to the calendar in 2022.

In a strategic effort to provide more job opportunities and playing experience at the 125 level, the WTA has expanded the number of WTA 125 tournaments across the globe.

Within the 2021 season, the WTA anticipates over 15 WTA 125 events throughout North America, South America, Europe, and Asia with the goal of increasing the number of events at this level over the next several years to help ensure the continued growth of the WTA.

Steve Simon, WTA Chairman and CEO, stated, “We are excited to announce the next series of events on the 2021 Tour calendar, as this season has already proven to be outstanding with the level of tennis we have witnessed thus far. We are especially appreciative of the commitment in which all the tournaments and players have put forth in order to operate efficiently and safely during these challenging times.”

Simon added, “We are also very excited about our WTA 125 initiative as we look to grow the number of playing opportunities for our athletes to support their progression through the sport.”

As we continue to operate in a COVID-19 environment, the WTA remains committed to putting health and safety at the forefront by following the guidelines provided by healthcare professionals and local health authorities.

Further additions and updates to the WTA Tour calendar will be announced in due course, including the second edition of the Shiseido WTA Finals Shenzhen.

https://www.wtatennis.com/news/2105865/ ... r-calendar

‘s-Hertogenbosch tournaments really got screwed by the French Open, huh?

Obviously COVID driven, but brutal that RG gets to shuffle proceedings at their whim two years on the trot.