WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (JUNE 17, 2020)—Following the release of the ATP’s adjusted 2020 men’s professional tennis calendar, the Winston-Salem Open has confirmed that its next tournament will take place in August 2021. The Winston-Salem Open, which was scheduled to have taken place August 22 through 29, 2020, is traditionally the finale of the summer long US Open Series.
At the direction of the ATP, the Winston-Salem Open leadership developed several different scenarios for a 2020 tournament. However, it is the Governing Board of the ATP that has the ultimate responsibility and authority in the event of extraordinary circumstances to reschedule the calendar in the best interests of the Tour. While disappointed, the Winston-Salem Open believes this decision will enable professional tennis to return safely to its most important event in the United States, the US Open.
The USTA and ATP/WTA Tours have been engaged in robust conversations about the tennis calendar and the reopening of professional tennis during the last three months. To ensure the safety of the players and the viability of the US Open, the USTA emerged with a plan to play the Western & Southern Open, normally set in Cincinnati, Ohio, at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York. To make this happen, it required the Winston-Salem Open to forgo its week.
The USTA will take extraordinary precautions to protect players and staff, including continuous testing, additional cleaning, extra locker room space, dedicated housing, and transportation. The players will be required to commit to living in a protective bubble as will everyone associated with the tournament. Public health experts, governmental officials and senior USTA leadership recommend a closed environment during the week leading up to the US Open. Holding the Western & Southern Open prior to the US Open on the same property created this possibility.
“We reviewed a range of models for having the Winston-Salem Open in August,” Winston-Salem Open Tournament Director Jeff Ryan said. “But above all, we made our decision for the good of the sport of tennis.
“We are fully supportive of the decision to hold back-to-back events in New York and are proud to be part of the structure that will allow the New York tournaments to take place,” Ryan said. “While this is disappointing, we want our community and supporters to know that our decision has positively impacted the single most important tennis event in the U.S. The US Open funds the grassroots tennis programs across the country. This decision has enabled it to take place.”
Ryan said the Winston-Salem Open wanted to do its part to make sure the US Open will be able to generate funds this year that allow it to continue supporting those initiatives. “These funds are the foudation of a powerful catalyst that develops and grows tennis in America”
“We are profoundly grateful for all the support the tournament receives from Winston-Salem and the surrounding communities, and we are pledging to be back, better than ever in 2021 and beyond."