Former ATP boss Chris Kermode has played down fears around the scheduling of the elite Monte Carlo Masters, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, next year. While he stepped down as the CEO of the governing body of men’s tennis, Kermode continues to remain involved in the game as an advisor to the Monte Carlo event.

Appearing as a guest on the Tennis Podcast, Kermode said he was hopeful that the event would go ahead as scheduled next year.

One of the top events in the men’s calendar, the Rolex Monte Carlo Masters had to be canceled last year owing to concerns around the COVID-19 pandemic.

“At the mercy of French authorities”: Former ATP boss and event advisor

The former CEO said that there’s every reason to be optimistic that the event will be staged next year. “Yeah, we will stay in that date for sure, we will 100% run the event. It’s just now, we’re at the mercy of, as you are well aware, it’s called the Monte Carlo Masters but the Country Club is actually in France. So, we’re at the mercy of the French authorities in terms of…in April, how many people we will be allowed in the stadium and the difficulty is, like Queens, you have to build the infrastructure we have to do the same thing here,” the former ATP CEO said.

He hinted that the final call on hosting the event next year could be taken around mid-January and said: 

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“So, it’s a very similar event (to Queens). We have to make that call around mid-January, really. So, it’s tough to predict two, three months ahead, of what’s gonna be. But we will hold it. Under what circumstances, who knows?”

He added that in the worst-case scenario, the event would be held behind closed doors, but cancellation is certainly ruled out. “Worst-case scenario is behind closed doors, but we certainly won’t cancel, that’s for sure,” the former ATP boss said.

The event was last staged in 2019, with Italian Fabio Fognini clinching the title following a straight-set win over Dusan Lajovic of Croatia. Previous championship winners at the event include Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, among others.

WATCH: When Fabio Fognini Destroyed Rafael Nadal at the Monte-Carlo Masters