BEVERLY HILLS, December 29, (THEWILL) – The BNP Paribas Open held in Indian Wells has become the latest sporting event to be postponed as a consequence of the most recent wave of the spread of the coronavirus.
Besides the four Grand Slams, the BNP Paribas Open which is an Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) event, is arguably the biggest on both circuits. It was initially scheduled to take place from March 8-21.
However, after being cancelled in 2020, it has now been postponed in 2021. In their official statement announcing the postponement, the ATP said:
“Due to the impact of COVID-19, the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells will not be held on its customary dates in March. Alternative dates are being assessed for the tournament to potentially take place later in the year.”
As far as disruptions and considerations for health and safety protocols were concerned, the ATP released a revised schedule for the first quarter of the year, with tournaments in Europe and South America especially coming on the heels of the delayed Australian Open, which is billed to now finish on February 21.
There will be ATP 500 events in Acapulco and Dubai from March 13-20 followed by the Masters event in Miami on March 22.
The Indian Wells organisers released a statement of their own to that effect: “Details will be released in the near future as plans are finalised. This decision was made after thorough consultation with state and local health authorities and tournament owner Larry Ellison.”
The ATP 2021 updated calendar will follow these new scheduled dates for the first quarter:
January 5-13: Delray Beach Open, Antalya Open
January 10-13: Australian Open qualifying, Doha
January 31-February 6: Australian Open warm-up events, Melbourne
February 1-5: ATP Cup, Melbourne
February 8-21: Australian Open, Melbourne
February 20-28: Cordoba Open
February 21-28: Open Sud de France, Montpellier
February 27-March 7: Rotterdam Open, Argentina Open
March 6-13: Qatar Open
March 6-14: Chile Open
March 7-14: Open 13 Provence, Marseille
March 13-20: Mexican Open, Dubai Duty Free Championships
March 22-April 4: Miami Open
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
