We were all hoping that the tennis schedule would start afresh in the 2021 season, but the woes caused by the coronavirus pandemic are not going to stay stuck in 2020. The latest news is that January’s ASB Classic in Auckland has been canceled due to travel restrictions and safety issues.
Even though preparation was well underway for the Australian Open tune-up, organizers were forced to make a tough decision to cancel the 2021 edition of the tournament because of the complexity of hosting a sporting event in the current COVID-19 circumstances.
ASB Classic tournament director Karl Budge announced the unwelcome news Tuesday:
We are obviously incredibly sad to share this news but safety has to be our priority. I’d like to thank the incredible dedication from the Classic team, volunteers and our sponsors who have strived tirelessly to make an event happen this summer.
It’s sad to see that tennis will not leave coronavirus disruptions behind when the new seasons starts. Let’s hope that the calendar will at least look much better than 2020.
