China is one of the biggest names in tennis when it comes to ATP tournaments. While there aren’t many Chinese players at the top of the sport, there is a very enthusiastic audience in China. However, China currently has strict restrictions in place due to COVID.
After a recent outbreak, many restrictions have been imposed including lockdown in many cities. With such stringent barriers, ATP has decided to cancel all the planned tournaments in China. This means tournaments like the Shanghai Masters, Chengdu Open and Zhuhai Championships will not take place for the third year in a row.
We’ve issued updates to the 2022 ATP Tour calendar 🌎 including cancellation of the 2022 China swing and the inclusion of six additional single-year events.
Read more 👇
— ATP Tour (@atptour) July 21, 2022
As per Sportstar, ATP Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi said, “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. As a global sport we continue to manage the impacts of the pandemic.”
Ever since the pandemic, tennis has seen many highs and lows. Apart from the COVID regulations, one talking point has been the vaccination of the players. Players like Djokovic have refused to take the vaccine and it has cost him two grand slams till now.
ATP announces six new events after the cancellation of tournaments in China
After the tournaments in China got canceled, ATP announced the addition of six more events to compensate for the canceled events. The six new events will take place in San Diego, Seoul, Tel Aviv, Florence, Gijon and Naples. Moreover, the events will take place between September 19 and October 23.
Furthermore, 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.”
As far as WTA is concerned, no tournaments were planned in China this year. The organization severed its ties with China over the Peng Shuai issue and is yet to resolve it. Nevertheless, it will be an exciting calendar ahead in the men’s section and fans will get to see some nail-biting matches at new locations.
