Today we bring you the the revised ATP tennis calendar. It is good news for tennis fans as the game is all set to resume after nearly 6 months of a break due to the Corona-virus Pandemic. The Association for tennis players (ATP) which is the governing body for the men’s game has issued a revised calendar. The men’s tour is all set to have a packed 3 months of August, September, and October. Many tournaments are scheduled one after the other with 2 Grand Slams also set to be played in a space of less than a month. Here is the look at the revised ATP tennis calendar for the already affected tennis season 2020.
The US Hard Court Swing
Tennis players will first be seen at the American hard court season which starts on the 14th of August and the City Open in Washington. The ATP 500 series tournament was won by Nick Kyrgios in 2019 after the talented Australian beat Daniil Medvedev of Russia in the final. Kyrgios is however unlikely to defend his title this year as the Aussie has already indicated that he won’t be traveling to the United States this year amidst fears of constantly rising Corona-virus cases.
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It will then be time for the Western and Southern Open from 22 August. The Masters 1000 event which is traditionally held at Cincinnati has been moved to New York this year to ensure that players travel less. The world number 5 Daniil Medvedev is the defending champion there. Last year he beat David Goffin of Belgium in the finals before an epic victory against the then-defending champ and world number 1 Novak Djokovic in the semis. The Roger Cup which is usually played in Canada before Cincinnati has been cancelled this year.
It will then be time for the showpiece event of the US Open at the Billie Jean King Tennis Stadium in Queen’s New York. The Grand slam will be held from the 31st of August to 14th September. The tournament will be played without any fans on the court, unlike other years where it is known for the intensity and excitement of the spectators. The US Open may see most of the top 10 players being absent as players need to choose between the US hard-court series and the European clay swing.
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The continuous rising cases in the United States along with the authorities’ directions have not gone well with many players. They are supposed to quarantine for 14 days before playing any tennis and also bring just one member of their team along. In 2019 Rafa Nadal won his 19th Slam at the Flushing Meadows. He may however also not come to defend his US Open title in 2020 and concentrate on his beloved clay-court tournaments. These were the changes in US Court Swing in the revised ATP tennis calendar.
The European Clay Swing
The clay-court swing of Europe is where most of the top players have indicated to play once tennis starts. It will commence with the Generali Open event at Kitzbuhel in Austria. The ATP 250 series tournament was won by local star Dominic Thiem in 2019. The world number 3 is likely to take part in the defense of his title there and also get the clay-court preparations underway.
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Tennis then moves to Spain as the Mutua Madrid Open starts on 13th September. In 2019 world number 1 Novak Djokovic lifted the Masters 1000 trophy here. He may attempt to defend his title there this year. Rafael Nadal the local superhero who has won the Madrid Open 5 times was beaten last year in an intense semi-final by Greek youngster Stefanos Tsitsipas. The Spaniard will also try to get his hands on the 6th Madrid trophy this year and start his clay-court preparations with a bang.
It will then be another Masters 1000 tournament at the Italian Open in Rome from the 20th of September. It was Nadal who triumphed last year in the Italian capital. The 9-time champion is a heavy favourite this year also along with Serbian legend Novak Djokovic who has also won there on 4 occasions. The championship will have other top players fighting in the pursuit of the title. These were the changes in European Clay Swing in the revised ATP tennis calendar.
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The Roland Garros Championships
Now the changes in Roland Garros Championships in the revised ATP tennis calendar. From the 27th of September to 11th October the idyllic city of Paris will wake to this year’s last Grand Slam at Roland Garros. The clay-court spectacle is expected to have more top players than the US Open which takes place a month earlier. With France having lesser Corona-virus cases the French Open authorities have so far decided to permit spectators on the courts. They will however be restricted to 50 percent of the total capacity or even lesser with focus on social distancing.
This year’s French Open may well bring a lot of content for tennis history books. The ATP World Number 2 Rafael Nadal is also a 12 time champion at Roland Garros. He may well lift his 13th title at Philippe Chatrier. This will take Nadal’s Grand Slam count to 20 trophies and tie the Spaniard with his great rival Roger Federer as the leader of major championships winners in Men’s tennis. There is also a chance for the Serbian great Novak Djokovic to lift his 2nd French Open trophy and thus become only the 2nd male player in Open Era with a double career Grand Slam.
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The two-time past finalist Dominic Thiem will also try hard to win his first Grand Slam in Paris this year. It is Thiem’s most successful tournament as he has been as a 2-time finalist and twice a semi-finalist in the last 4 years. The Austrian who recently won the Adria Open exhibition championship is in the best form of his life. In the Australian Open earlier this year, he finished finalist and has also risen to the career-best rank of world number 3 in the ATP singles rankings.
For now, the ATP has restricted the revised calendar till October only. If all goes well we may also have few other tournaments such as the Nitto year-end finale played in the latter part of the year. Tennis fans can feel the excitement about again seeing their favorite players on the court soon again. We will keep bringing your all further updates on the tennis calendar and the live coverage once the matches start. In the meantime do let us know your valuable views on the feedback section.
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