"It is impossible to guarantee a positive change in this situation in the coming weeks" - Madrid Open in doubt due to surge in COVID-19 cases
ATPTuesday, 04 August 2020 at 09:45
The 2020 Mutua Madrid Open is unlikely to be held this year, as the city of Madrid has seen a rise in COVID-19 cases over the past few weeks.
Originally scheduled to be held in early May, the Masters 1000 event was postponed till September due to the coronavirus pandemic. The tournament was to set to be held from September 12-20, with ATP stars like Rafael Nadal already committed to participating at the rescheduled event.
However, following a recent rise in COVID-19 cases in Madrid and in Spain, the tournament organizers released a statement that puts the event in doubt. They revealed that after consulting with the Department of Public Health, they were advised not to host the event.
Although the tournament has not been outright canceled, it is looking unlikely that it will be held this year. Below is the entire official statement.
"Since the rescheduling of the Mutua Madrid Open due to the covid-19 pandemic, the organizers have been working with the ATP and WTA to stage the tournament from 12 to 20 September, on the reorganized calendar.
During this entire process, the organizers of the Mutua Madrid Open have been in close communication with the competent health organizations in the Community of Madrid, represented by Antonio Zapatero, Deputy Secretary of Public Health, and with the National Sports Council (CSD). The aforementioned organizations have always shown the utmost cooperation, resolving all the issues put forward by the organizers and facilitating the process at all times in order to be able to hold the 2020 Mutua Madrid Open.
In the last meeting, on 29 July, due to the increase in cases of covid-19 in Madrid in recent days, the organizers of the Mutua Madrid Open stated their concerns about being able to stage the tournament free from health complications that might affect the players, fans and staff. In view of this situation, the organizers of the Mutua Madrid Open requested the help of Antonio Zapatero, Deputy Secretary of Public Health, and were advised not to stage the tournament due to the current trend of covid-19 cases.
As they have throughout the entire process, in that meeting, the organizers of the Mutua Madrid Open benefitted from the cooperation and help of the Community of Madrid in analyzing the situation, which is unfortunately deteriorating day by day. As it is impossible to guarantee a positive change in this situation in the coming weeks, the organizers of the Mutua Madrid Open wanted to make a decision in good time.
At all times, the organizers of the Mutua Madrid Open have valued the support of the competent health organizations in the Community of Madrid and have heeded the opinion of experts, while always reserving the right to make the final decision on the staging of the Mutua Madrid Open.
In light of the advice of the competent health organizations, and given the difficult situation caused by covid-19 (with a considerable increase in cases in Madrid and in Spain), the organizers of the Mutua Madrid Open are analyzing and closely evaluating all the possible options, while always focusing on guaranteeing the safety of all those involved in the tournament.
The final decision on the staging of the 2020 Mutua Madrid Open will fall to Ion Tiriac and Super Slam Ltd., the tournament’s license holder."
[embed]https://twitter.com/MutuaMadridOpen/status/1289497381432696832[/embed]
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