The 2020 Mutua Madrid Open has been canceled, organizers said on Monday, as tennis continues to bear the brunt of the chaos caused by the pandemic.

The Mutua Madrid Open was slated to begin on September 12. The final was supposed to be held on September 20, just a week before the start of the French Open.

The decision now leaves a week’s gap between the conclusion of the US Open and the start of the Rome Masters.

Players’ preparations for the French Open are affected and the transition from hard courts to clay courts before the Paris event will also be tougher.

The cancellation will probably see more European players play the US Open. Many European players have shown reluctance to play the US Open due to quarantine rules and had decided to stay in Europe to focus on the clay events.

Without the Madrid Open, many of them could play the US Open as there is no longer an event starting just a day after the New York major and so close to the French Open.

Earlier, Marca reported that the decision of cancellation was communicated to the players by ATP Players’ Council President Novak Djokovic before the official announcement.

Health authorities advised organizers against hosting Madrid Open

Madrid Open organizers had released a statement recently saying that the Spanish health authorities had advised them against hosting the event.

“Due to the increase in cases of COVID-19 in Madrid in recent days, the organisers of the Mutua Madrid Open stated their concerns about being able to stage the tournament free from health complications that might affect the players, fans, and staff,” the statement read.

“In view of this situation, the organisers of the Mutua Madrid Open requested the help of Antonio Zapatero, Deputy Secretary of Public Health, and were advised not to stage the tournament due to the current trend of COVID-19 cases,” the statement added.

“The final decision will fall to Ion Tiriac and Super Slam Ltd., the tournament’s license holder,” it further added.

The organizers had conceded that the situation is worsening day after day and ‘it is impossible to guarantee a positive change in this situation in the coming weeks’.

Rafael Nadal had confirmed his participation in the Madrid Open 2020. He was expected to skip the US Open to focus on the European clay-court swing.

USTA wants to disqualify players who have infected team member, ATP disagrees

In a surprising revelation, Marca reported that the United States Tennis Association (USTA) wants to disqualify players who have COVID-19 infected people on their teams.

The ATP disagrees with the proposition and is contemplating not giving ranking points to US events if the USTA sticks with the decision.

The USTA will host the Western and Southern Open followed by the US Open later this month, at the same venue.

Source – Marca, Madrid Open

Also read – “Willing to Take a Risk” – Andy Murray Confirms Participation at US Open 2020