The Shanghai Masters and three other men’s tournaments in China will not be held this year due to COVID-19 restrictions in the country, the ATP Tour said on Thursday.
China hosted the Winter Olympics under strict health regulations in February but virtually every other international sporting event this year has been canceled or postponed.
ATP President Andrea Gaudenzi told Reuters Last month, the outlook for the Chinese market in 2022 was bleak.
“This marks the third year of canceling the ATP tournament in China, which is usually held in September and October and was last held in 2019, before the pandemic,” the regulator said. men said in a statement.
As of July 20, mainland China has confirmed 228,180 cases of COVID-19 with symptoms since the pandemic first hit in December 2019.
While the numbers are small by global standards, authorities in China are following a strict no-COVID policy, while other countries have relaxed their rules and chosen to live with the virus.
The French Open and Wimbledon were recently held without any health restrictions and it is unlikely the players would have agreed to travel to China if there is any isolation period involved.
The women’s tour has no scheduled events in China in 2022 as the WTA is working to find a resolution to its disagreement with China over Peng Shuai.
The health of former world number one Peng became a concern for the WTA after she posted a message on social media last November accusing former Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli of sexual assault.
In addition to the Shanghai Masters on October 9-16, China is scheduled to host the Chengdu Open and Zhuhai championships, both of which start on September 26, and the China Open from October 3-9 in China. Beijing.
To fill the gap in the calendar left by the cancellation of the China event, the men’s body said it has granted a one-year license to hold six ATP 250 tournaments.
“As a global sport, we continue to manage the impacts of the pandemic,” said Gaudenzi. “The cancellation of the event is an unfortunate practice, and we wish our affected league members and fans well.
“At the same time, it’s encouraging that more major cities are hosting this season’s ATP Tour tennis tournament.”
