Wuhan draws up tennis in October

Shanghai, June 19: “Staging the Wuhan Open later this year will send a powerful message about the city’s recovery from Coronavirus and have an impact that stretches beyond tennis,” the tournament’s co-director said.

The central Chinese city was the original epicentre of the pandemic and nearly 4,000 people died from the disease there before it spread worldwide.

But the annual Wuhan Open is now pencilled in for October 19-25 after the WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) this week released its provisional calendar for the rest of the year.

The schedule “is conditioned on several key factors’’ including player safety, government approvals and relaxation of travel restrictions, the WTA said.

At present, most foreign nationals are barred from entering China.

Wuhan Open co-director Brenda Perry said, “the tournament will not go ahead if overseas players cannot come, and that a final decision will be made around early August.”

But she added: “I’m thrilled for all my colleagues and friends in Wuhan, and what this will mean to the city and the people of the city.

“It’s hugely symbolic of overcoming a hugely challenging moment. They went through what seemed to me one of the most stringent lockdowns in the world,’’ said the 62-yearold, speaking by telephone from Auckland.

Significant hurdles still lie ahead if Wuhan is to see tennis in October.

China is now experiencing a fresh outbreak of infections in Beijing and the ATP Japan Open scheduled for October was cancelled on Thursday over fears of a second wave.

As part of measures to prevent imported Coronavirus cases, China has indefinitely closed its borders. International air travel is disrupted. — AFP