CIti Open CEO: I think the Citi Open has a good chance to play in Washington

Mark Ein, the Chairman and CEO of the Citi Open, says that they are continuing to plan the tournament for this summer while remaining aware that the tournament may be cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Citi Open has a WTA International event  and an ATP 500 tournament and is scheduled to be held on August 1-August 9, 2020 as per the original tennis calendar.

In an interview to the Tennis Tour Talk website, Ein, who is also a venture capitalist, says, “Obviously, no matter what business you’re in – and we’re in the tennis business – coronavirus is impacting everything. You have to balance, both moving things forward and planning, but also contingency planning because there’s still so much unknown. The planning is continuing as if it’s happening. There’s a lot in the works around the Citi Open. We’ve had a fantastic response from our season tournament ticket holders. People are excited.”

Ein says he has a lot of exciting developments related to the tournament planned but does not feel it is the right time to talk about it just yet given the current environment and scenario. "We still have a while before we would usually put individual sessions on sale. But, we’re moving forward full steam ahead with the planning, unknowing that we may have to make adjustments. At the moment, right now, we’re moving full steam ahead. It’s what we should do. We have a lot of exciting developments to share with people, but it just doesn’t feel like right now is the right time to talk about that. When and if there’s a right time, people will see all the work that’s been going on.”

The 55 year old says that if the tournament can be held safely, it would be an incredible celebration for all parties involved - the players, the fans and the local community. "I actually think that if we can host the event safely, it’s going to be an incredible celebration for everyone. I believe people are so eager to get back to life as normal, to be outside and to be amongst other people.  The Citi Open could be the first big event in our community. It could be one of the first big tennis events in the world. If it can be hosted safely, I think people are going to be wildly enthusiastic to be there. The players are as eager as anyone to get back on court. It’s what they love to do and it’s how they make a living. They’re incredibly eager to get back on tour. The planning for these events continues until we know it’s not. I think the Citi Open has a good chance to play.”

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2XpphJj