OFFICIAL: 2020 Washington Open cancelled due to ‘too many unresolved external issues’

ATP Tour
Washington Open Citi Open

The revised 2020 ATP Tour calendar has been dealt another major blow after the Washington Open was cancelled because of “too many unresolved external issues”.

The Citi Open was due to kickstart the men’s tour following the five-month enforced break due to the coronavirus with the ATP 500 event scheduled to run from August 13.

Strict health and safety measures were set to be introduced to minimise the spread of Covid-19 while travel arrangements were still being ironed out.

However, entrepreneur and Citi Open chairperson Mark Ein announced in a statement that they have been forced to call off the tournament.

“There are too many unresolved external issues, including various international travel restrictions, as well as troubling health and safety trends, that have forced us to make this decision now in fairness to our players, suppliers and partners, so that they can have certainty around their planning,” Ein said.

He added: “In these days, health and safety needs to remain the number one priority.”

The Washington D.C. event was one of two warm-up events planned for the US Open with the Cincinnati Masters the other, but ATP Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi says there were too many things that were “outside of their control”.

“Unfortunately for the moment there are still large factors at play which are outside of our control,” he said.

“We look forward to the Citi Open returning as one of our signature American events in 2021.”

The Cincinnati Masters, which has been moved to Flushing Meadows, remains on the calendar with the ATP Masters event set to start on August 24 with the US Open taking place the following week.

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