The 2020 WTA Rogers Cup is postponed to 2021

The cancellation of Wimbledon was followed by the suspension of the ATP, WTA, and ITF Tours to suspend all activity until half-July at least, but the doubt persists: will the tennis season really resume in 2020?

Since the world is still fighting the coronavirus pandemic, every tournament planned for the second half of the year can fear its cancellation - some may have to relocate in the calendar, like the French Open has done; others might be forced to find an alternative way to strive, following the example of the Mutua Madrid Open; some get completely erased from this season.

Such is the case of the WTA Rogers Cup which had to take place in Montreal from August 7 to 16.

On Friday 10, a declaration made by the Quebec minister of Tourism, Cultural and Communications, and Education - Isabelle Charest - hinted at serious possibilities that the 2020 WTA Rogers Cup - hosted in Montreal, Quebec - might get cancelled. The Quebec government had in fact officially issued a call for the shutdown of all public sporting and cultural events until August 31 at least.

The Rogers Cup issued a statement in which it assured its fans that a possible postponement was in discussion with the WTA.

Following the measures imposed by the Quebec Government, Tennis Canada is discussing the various options with the WTA regarding the postponement of the Rogers Cup event in Montreal, which was scheduled to take place from August 7-16, 2020: ⬇️https://t.co/sbPQYXAZnl

— Coupe Rogers (@CoupeRogers) April 10, 2020

Later on the same day, the Montreal Impact soccer team had released a statement in which it explained that the government’s decree apparently did not apply to professional sports.

The statement, as reported by Stephanie Myles on opencourt.ca, included the following lines: “The Montreal Impact has been made aware this afternoon of the government of Quebec’s request to cancel all events scheduled until August 31, 2020. However, the Ministry of Tourism specified that this request is not addressed to professional sports leagues.”

While this could have meant that there was a possibility of salvaging the 2020 WTA Rogers Cup, any such hope sank when the tournament and the WTA officially declared on April 11 its postponement to 2021 - August 6 to 15.

Following the measures imposed by government authorities in the province of Quebec, Tennis Canada announces the postponement of the Rogers Cup in Montreal. The tournament will take place from August 6 to 15, 2021, as Montreal will host the women’s eventhttps://t.co/YH45UoEYr8

— Coupe Rogers (@CoupeRogers) April 11, 2020

“If at the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis we were hoping that the situation would be resolved in time to be able to host our tournament as initially planned on the calendar, but we knew that the chances were getting smaller and smaller in recent weeks,” declared Eugène Lapierre, Tournament Director. “Our priority in the management of this crisis has always been to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our players, fans, volunteers, partners and employees. It is thus with a heavy heart that we received this news, but we understand that this decision was necessary. We would like to thank all our clients and partners for their collaboration and support during this difficult time. Rest assured that we will be working tirelessly in the coming months in order to make next year’s tournament a great celebration during which we will be able to celebrate the sport and enjoy each other’s company.”

No declaration has yet been issued regarding the ATP half of the event which, as it would be held in Toronto, should not be affected by any decision taken by the Quebec government.

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