Alain Faucher,Granby Challenger:Thought we had seen everything but this is unheard of

Alain Faucher, President and CEO of the ATP Challenger in Granby, says they will take a call on their tournament being held by early May in an interview to LaVoixdel'est. The Challenger event is scheduled from July 18 to July 26th.

Faucher says, "Things are going fast right now. There are new cancellations everywhere every day, in all sports. ATP has decreed that there will be no tournaments for six weeks, Tennis Canada has closed the IGA Stadium to the public until further notice. It's so big what's going on, it's so much bigger than sport… The Challenger is not Wimbledon, but it is not a tournament that takes place over 15 days. And we will not take our volunteers hostage either by making a decision at the last minute. I am in constant communication with Eugène Lapierre (vice-president of Tennis Canada and director of the Granby tournament), we are following the evolution of the situation and we will sit down at the end of April to see where we are at. "

This year is supposed to mark the 25th edition of the tournament. "It is certain that there are special things that are planned for the 25th. The permanent platforms that we have been waiting for so long, we will have them. Everything that is going on right now is very bad timing for the tournament, but there is nothing we can do about it.  We would like to have all the answers to our questions, but we don't have them. We want to play tennis, but everyone's priority right now must be people's safety and health. "

At 71, Faucher has been through various difficult times in his life. But he says that the current crisis is something that he has never seen before. "This is unheard of ! We thought we had seen everything during the Ice Crisis in 1998, but we were wrong. During the ice storm, my office had been closed for three weeks and I was working as a volunteer at Cégep (the place used to welcome victims) with my wife. It was something. But this, it's even bigger, it's a global crisis, which affects everyone. We have to stick together, we have no choice. And the common good must come first. "

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/33oeyje