The WTA Tour will resume next month with multiple events in countries such as Italy and Czech Republic which are among the safest now amidst the Coronavirus pandemic but WTA Chief, Steve Simon will 'not hesitate to shut down' should it go wrong.
Simon is confident that it will go well but of course there is apprehension and like in other sports, it is all about redressing a balance and giving as many players the chance to return to their livelihoods as possible.
“I’d say there’s definitely an excitement to get back to doing what we love,” Simon told Reuters.
“Obviously there’s been a lot of hard work that’s been done by the tournament promoters; as well as the team to get us to this stage. So we’re going into this with great hopes.
“And hopefully we’ve found a solution that will allow tennis to operate in this environment.”
“I think our first three events — Palermo, Prague and Lexington — will certainly create that pathway for us.
“Where we got to was, unless everybody can travel nobody plays? Or do we try to find opportunities for all of those that can play and feel comfortable playing?” Simon explained.
“And we got to the balance: We should be trying to get as many jobs and as many opportunities for as many people as we can to continue our sport.
“Obviously, if we don’t think the balance is right; or we think the conditions have changed and it’s not safe, (or) we don’t like what’s happening due to the challenges we have; we will not hesitate to shut down.”