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The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) says that it hopes to go ahead with the rest of its 2020 calendar as per plan although several sporting events have been cancelled or postponed around the world due to the outbreak of the coronavirus, while speaking to Reuters.
The virus has killed more than 3,000 people across the world and infected more than 88,000, most of them in China. Several other countries have also witnessed the outbreak of the disease. The WTA has so far cancelled two of its WTA $125K series events in China, scheduled in April, due to the outbreak and has said it will monitor the situation there for other events planned out there later in the year.
Speaking to Reuters, the WTA commented, “We are proceeding with the remainder of the 2020 WTA Tour season as planned but we will be prepared to make any changes, if deemed necessary in due time. There isn’t anything more important than protecting the health of our players, WTA and event staff, and fans who attend WTA events.
We are working closely with our tournaments, so they are in the best position to provide for health and safety precautions in their venues”. The WTA also said that it was regularly communicating with health experts, local governments and travel agencies on the outbreak and passing the relevant information to the players.
The ITF had also said it is in constant touch with independent medical and travel advisers and would take any action as required based on expert advice. The Davis Cup World Group Qualifiers are scheduled for this weekend and the inaugural version of the Fed Cup Finals is scheduled to be held in Budapest, Hungary from April 14 to 19.
The men's ATP Tour told Reuters, "We are in regular contact with our player and tournament members regarding the latest precautionary health measures and guidelines, as well as any travel advisories, and we continue to closely monitor the situation as it evolves." The men's tour has also seen some Challenger events cancelled in China in March and April, while the final of a Challenger event in Bergamo, Italy was also cancelled due to the outbreak of the same virus there.