The rescheduling of next year’s Australian Open - to be played from February 8 to 21 - due to the COVID-19 pandemic has forced the organisers of the Tata Open Maharashtra to look for fresh dates in the second half of the calendar. The last edition of the Tata Open, South Asia’s only ATP Tour event, was staged in the first week of February in 2020.
“The organisers are keen to host the fourth edition of the event and have been in talks with the ATP, the governing body of men’s professional tennis, to explore a possible slot in the second half of the calendar,” a media release said on Sunday.
Tata Open Maharashtra tournament director Prashant Sutar said: “Live sports have been the worst hit in the COVID-19 pandemic times and it has been facing tough challenges. However, it’s heartening to see a slow and steady comeback as tournaments have started taking place.
“While several events are cancelled and postponed, we are happy that we still have an opportunity to rework the dates and stage the tournament. We, at Tata Open Maharashtra, are committed to bringing the tournament back for Indian tennis fans.”
The rescheduling of the event will give organisers ample time to create a secure bubble environment and allow them to “work with the government to reassess the 14-day quarantine rule with existing international protocols.”
The last edition of the Tata Open Maharashtra saw Czech Republic’s Jiri Vesely win the singles title, while the pair of Andre Goransson and Christopher Rungkat claimed the doubles title.
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