The officials have canceled the Indian Wells Masters which was to begin today. The cancelation came in the light of a registered case of coronavirus in the Coachella Valley. There are whispers of the event being postponed to after the US Open, which takes place in September.

Tennis, and indeed many other sports, is in a very precarious situation right now. Indian Wells is one of the biggest events in the sport after the four Grand Slams. Its cancelation does not bode well for the rest of the season.

Indian Wells after US Open?

The BNP Paribas Open announced the cancelation at the very last minute, leaving many fans and players shocked.

However, there is an outside possibility of the Indian Wells taking place after the US Open. That could make for a very good way out of this mess. What would make it easier is that most players will already be in the country for the final Major.

Tommy Haas, who now serves as the Tournament Director of Indian Wells, hinted at this very possibility.

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“We are prepared to hold the tournament on another date and will explore options.”

It remains to be seen how the ATP and WTA officials handle the event organization through the rest of the season going forward.

The problem is, it is impossible to be sure how the spread of the virus will shape up by the time US Open arrives. Even the Grand Slams could be in danger of being canceled if the cases grow rapidly.

The Asian swing of the tennis season looks to be doomed already. Cases in Asia, especially in East Asia are in huge numbers. Most tennis events during the Asian-swing are in countries which heavily affected by the coronavirus, hence, it is all but certain to be canceled. Players will not want to take the risk of infecting themselves either.

All of this poses a huge challenge for the sport. The problems are compounded by the fact that it is an Olympic year. There is a fear that the Tokyo Games could be canceled altogether.