Berlin health officials approve the plan to allow a limited number of spectators to the bett1 Aces tennis tournament to be held in July.
The
bett1 Aces tennis exhibition tournament will take place in mid-July in Berlin and up to 800 spectators per day will be allowed to attend. The news is a somewhat fascinating development especially after the
Adria Tour fiasco which saw several top players catch the
Coronavirus. The organizers of the tournaments in Berlin have said that health officials in the city have approved of the plans.
What is even more bizarre is that the organizers were happy to announce that these were going to be the 1st sporting events with spectators in Germany. The Berlin organizers promise strict hygiene and social distancing measures. Spectators will have to arrive wearing masks, which they can remove in the stands. Many seats will be left empty.
Players and staff will be tested for the coronavirus, must abide by social distancing rules off the court, and will have their temperatures taken. The Berlin events will include a great field that includes
Dominic Thiem and
Alexander Zverev.
Joining them will be
Jan-Lennard Struff,
Jannik Sinner,
Tommy Haas, and curiously
Nick Kyrgios who was a vocal critic of anything remotely resembling such events. The women's field consists of
Elina Svitolina,
Kiki Bertens,
Petra Kvitova,
Julia Goerges,
Caroline Garcia, and
Andrea Petkovic.
https://twitter.com/bett1aces/status/1269068636695789568