The Association of Tennis Professionals added four new tournaments to the provisional calendar for the 2020 season, and the Women’s Tennis Association introduced an event in the Czech Republic, the respective sports bodies announced on Thursday.
According to the ATP, Cologne city in Germany will host back-to-back 250 events on indoor hardcourt. The Italian island of Sardinia is expected to organise a claycourt event while Nur-Sultan in Kazakhstan will stage an indoor event. All the events are scheduled to be held next month.
“Adding new events to the Tour calendar is a positive step given the many challenges our sport has faced this year, and I would like to thank all the event organisers on the calendar,” ATP Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi said.
“Our goal was to create additional opportunities for players and entertainment for our fans, and to do so in a safe and practical way. We are delighted to have tennis back on court again and these new events will help us finish the year strongly, as we build towards the season-ending ATP Finals.”
The ATP added that all events will be subject to strict health and safety protocols as required. The events will be on single-year licence as professionals will be given the opportunity to earn money and ranking points amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The J&T Banka Ostrava Open, the WTA event in Czech Republic, will be played on hardcourt from October 19 to 25.
The tournament will offer USD 528,500 in prize money and feature a 28-player singles main draw along with a 16-team doubles draw. In addition to this, a 24-player draw will be held with six lower-ranked players earning the chance to feature in the main draw.
The WTA Tour returned to action on August 3 with the Palermo Open following a five-month suspension of the sport due to COVID-19.
