By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Thursday July 23, 2020
The WTA and ATP Tours have been forced to cancel their Asian Swing events in 2020, eleven events in total.
Photo Source: BNP Paribas
The ATP and WTA Tours have both cancelled their Asian Swing for 2020.
The announcements were made late on Thursday evening, after the tours had spent several weeks trying to negotiate a workable solution with China, which had cancelled all international sporting events except for Olympic related qualifying events on June 9.
The WTA takes the bigger hit—it had seven tour-level events scheduled for China this autumn, including the lucrative WTA Finals Shenzhen, which offered a record $14 million prize money payout.
"We are extremely disappointed that our world-class events in China will not take place this year," stated WTA CEO Steve Simon. "Unfortunately, this decision also includes the cancellation of the Shiseido WTA Finals Shenzhen and as result, the corresponding Porsche Race to Shenzhen. We do however respect the decision that has been made and are eager to return to China as soon as possible next season."
All seven of the WTA events cancelled are listed below:
- Week of Oct. 12 – China Open (Beijing)
- Week of Oct. 19 – Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open
- Week of Oct. 19 – Jiangxi Open (Nanchang)
- Week of Oct. 26 – Zhengzhou Open
- Week of Nov. 9 – Shiseido WTA Finals Shenzhen
- Week of Nov. 16 – Hengqin Life WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai
- Week of Nov. 23 – Guangzhou Open
The ATP saw four of its events cancelled-- the Rolex Shanghai Masters, the China Open in Beijing, the Chengdu Open and the Zhuhai Championships.
“It’s with a heavy heart that we announce ATP tournaments will not be played in China this year,” said ATP CEO Andrea Gaudenzi. “These important events have been a cornerstone of the Tour’s presence in Asia and I want to thank the organizers for their commitment and cooperation. Chinese fans are some of the most passionate in the world and I know players will be looking forward to the next opportunity to play in front of them.”
Both tours hinted that they are currently looking for ways to fill out the autumn calendar. A further update to the calendar is expected to come in early July.