Volvo Car Open to return in Charleston in 2021

The organizers of the Volvo Car Open have announced that the tournament will be making a comeback in 2021, in addition to renovation plans for the event's center court.

Although Madison Keys is the defending champion, having triumphed there in 2019, the green clay-court event was cancelled in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. However, plans for it's comeback were revealed by tournament director Bob Moran.

"We are committed to operating the Volvo Car Open in April 2021," revealed Moran. "We will follow all health and safety guidelines set forth by governmental agencies at that time. As of now, our team is working as if we are moving forward with our normal preparation cycle for the tournament. With that said, we will be planning for multiple variations of what the event could be with the overarching premise that the health and safety of our fans, players, volunteers, partners and staff will be our top priority.”

"The last several months presented unprecedented challenges for the Volvo Car Open team, our players and our fans, but our collective resilience and love for the game kept us inspired and moving forward," added Moran. "We rallied and we bounced back. Since March, our team has invested our time into planning for 2021 and beyond. After careful thought and consideration, we are thrilled to announce that professional tennis will return to Charleston at the Volvo Car Open on 3-11 April 2001."

"We can’t wait to welcome back our players, fans, partners and volunteers to the Lowcountry for another world-class event and celebrate the spirit of the sport that has kept us motivated and entertained during these difficult times. After cancelling the Volvo Car Open, we hosted a made-for-TV tournament in June, in partnership with Tennis Channel, which brought a little tennis into our lives. We know the 16 players that were here in Charleston for the event had a great time and appreciated the effort we invested to bring back live tennis. After producing that event, we feel confident that we can conduct a Volvo Car Open that is both safe and entertaining for our fans, those who choose to attend next year and those who choose to tune in on Tennis Channel”.

Moran also revealed that the Volvo Open plans to renovate the Volvo Car stadium, which is the tournament's center court. These renovations are scheduled to begin next year and be completed in time for the 50th edition of the tournament in 2022.

“Our 20-year-old city-owned facility will undergo upgrades to enhance the stadium experience for patrons, performers and event management, allowing the stadium to attract world-class athletes and performers to Daniel Island," disclosed Moran." With the Volvo Stadium undergoing these exciting renovations through the fall of 2021 and for the safety of our patrons, we will be implementing new producers and limiting the number of fans we have onsite at one time. We will construct a temporary stadium on Althea Gibson Club Court that will provide seating for up to 3000 fans per session and create an intimate atmosphere to host world-class tennis”.