WTA - Palermo

Despite all efforts from the COVID-19 virus to eliminate the remainder of the tennis season, there is a recommencement, and it comes in the form of a WTA tournament in Palermo, Italy.

While there may be a number of restrictions surrounding the event, these relate mainly to spectators, and are central to the vital health considerations of all concerned.

Already a player has had to withdraw from the tournament after testing positive to the virus, and the Tournament Infection Control Officer, in conjunction with medical specialists and the WTA, immediately enacted the COVID-19 response plan, to enable the event to continue as planned, in safety.

2020 Palermo Ladies Open - a WTA international tournament, on Red Clay, in Palermo, Italy, 3-9 August 2020.

Defending champion:

Jil Teichmann (8) who defeated Kiki Bertens (1) 7-6(3) 6-2

The following players withdrew after entering but before the main draw was published:

 

- Anna Blinkova replaced by Camila Giorgi

- Johanna Konta replaced by Tamara Zidansek

- Veronika Kudermetova replaced by Sorana Cirstea 

- Svetlana Kuznetsova replaced by Arantxa Rus 

- Karolina Muchova replaced by Sara Sorribes Tormo 

- Jelena Ostapenko replaced by Patricia Maria Tig

- Anastasija Sevastova replaced by Kirsten Flipkens 

- Iga Swiatek replaced by Irina-Camelia Begu

Petra Martic, world number 15, is top seed.

The other 7 seeds are all in the top 27

There are no byes

ATP Rankings ‘Solution’

The ATP, after months of silence, has finally released its solution to the world rankings problem, as we draw closer to a return (pandemic allowing) to professional tournament tennis.

Before the suspension of everything, including freezing the rankings - pre Indian Wells in March - the rankings total for ATP players aggregated the best 18 points performances over the most recent 52 week period.

The top players, by virtue of their ranking, would gain automatic entry to the four Grand Slam tournaments and nine Masters 1000 events. Accordingly, points gained from these would be required in the ‘best 18’, irrespective of whether the player chose to contest the tournament or not.

Lower ranked players would be subject to the same rules, but only to whichever of the GS or Masters 1000 events they automatically gained entry.

Now, the best 18 concept remains, but the period has changed.  It will cover the 22 month period March 2019 - December 2020.

For the rest of this year, no player will lose any of his current ranking points, but he may improve his position.

Example: Roland Garros

2019 points are currently included in all relevant players’ frozen rankings, but the tournament is scheduled to be contested again in September this year.

Players will now include the better of his 2020 or 2019 result in the ‘best 18’ total.

This is so for any same Tour-level tournament, if played in 2020 once tennis resumes in August.

Rafa Nadal, could retain his RG title this year, lose in the first round, or skip the event altogether, and his ranking points will be unaffected. His 2000 points from 2019 cannot be improved.

Novak Djokovic made the 2019 semi finals, gaining 720 points, and so has the potential to improve his position. By making this years final, he would gain an extra 480 points; a win would give him 2000 points and a net increase of 1280 points.

Any tournaments played in 2020 will count for 52 weeks or until that event is played again in 2021, whichever comes first.

One should expect Roland Garros to be scheduled in May / June 2021.

The events that were played in January - March this year, and are counted in rankings, will be replaced as per normal in 2021.

So, a player could feasibly have a rankings breakdown for a fair chunk of next year which includes points from Australian Open 2021, Roland Garros 2020, Wimbledon 2019 and US Open 2019.

COVID-19 Tennis in Atlanta

Many from the tennis world, conspicuously led by loud American voices, hammered Novak Djokovic for insufficiently considering the COVID-19 pandemic and taking inadequate precautions when organising the recent Adria Tour.

Some players, including Djokovic, tested positive for the virus, meaning that lessons would be learned the hard way - or so we assumed.

The All-American Team Cup, an exhibition tournament, was scheduled to be held in Atlanta, Georgia, featuring the first matches in front of a US crowd since the pandemic had shut down the pro tours. The 8 man event had been thrown in doubt due to a dramatically worsening COVID climate in the USA, but it proceeded anyway.

Frances Tiafoe, tested after playing Sam Querrey, was found to be COVID-19 positive, subsequently is in quarantine and out of the event.

Frances had been tested negative just before the event where he had been training for two months - in Florida, a COVID hotbed, so no great surprise that he could have ultimately picked it up.

Oh well, nice try, tournament over of course. 

But no, the dimwitted organisers, led by Eddie Gonzalez (Event Director) just throw in a substitute, and the event continues. All the protocols are in place and safety concerns are covered - that’s the message.  Well, if I was Sam Querrey, having been on court with a virus infected Tiafoe, I’d be out of Atlanta in a flash.

And similarly any other person associated with the tournament - go home, have a test. 

An 8 man meaningless exhibition event, placing so many people at health risk, is badly timed, dumb, selfish and hypocritical, and sends the credibility of staging the US Open next month further down the gurgler.

Adria Tour was lesson #1, All-American Cup is lesson #2, but the students aren’t listening.

US Open - No Qualifying !

Well, it has been announced - the USTA and the New York governor are still congratulating themselves for providing the world with the 2020 US Open beginning on 31 August as originally scheduled.

However, this edition is somewhat different from the normal Flushing Meadows Grand Slam fortnight, and not just because of the COVID-19 environment clouding it.

At each of the 4 majors, the main draws in singles and doubles are constructed largely from direct entry, based on rankings. There are other spots filled by wildcards allocated at the discretion of tournament organisers.

Then there are places won through success in the qualifying section of the tournament.

In its wisdom, or otherwise, the USTA has chosen to toss qualifying out the door on this occasion, leaving a host of lower ranked players unable to even attempt a path to the main draw.

Instead, the courts at Queens will be used in the week immediately preceding the US Open for the Western & Southern Open. This tournament originally was scheduled to be played a week earlier, and in Cincinnati, Ohio, but decision makers thought it nice to use it as a prelude to the US Open, so shifted the date and place.

Also missing from the US Open will be Mixed Doubles, Juniors, and all Wheelchair competition. Of course, you’d expect that these decisions must have been made after consultations with players. Appears not. Australian wheelchair tennis champion Dylan Alcott was appalled when he found out that his presence was not required, and doubles player Gaby Dabrowski similarly was disappointed to learn about qualifying being dumped in a unilateral manner.

Many players were overlooked as plans were put in place for the reimagined US Open, and subsequently, protestations from some, unhappy with terms and conditions, have seen minor modifications incorporated.

Whether this will result in players changing their original intention not to attend is dubious. An oft expressed alternative is to remain in, or fly to Europe, in preparation for Roland Garros, which will have Madrid and Rome as lead in red clay tournaments.

US Open 2020 and Novak Djokovic

The 2020 US Open and Novak Djokovic

It appears that the USTA is determined to stage the US Open as scheduled in COVID City, sorry New York City, starting late August.

Great news for tennis fans, well those able to watch via television, or alternative media. Because just a couple of months out, this Grand Slam tournament will be contested on courts without crowds.

The pandemic is still enjoying itself more than New Yorkers, despite what some natives would have you believe, and there are many tennis players beyond the home of the brave, who are understandably reticent to travel over oceans to swing racquets in an environment where the hideous virus transmits quicker then a John Isner serve.

Those who are vocal in their doubts of attending, or just critical of proceeding with the event, include the world #1 Novak Djokovic, and two Australians Nick Kyrgios and John Millman.

The thoughts of Kyrgios have been condemned , well mainly because he is Nick, but Djokovic has been the target for the most wide ranging attack, including narrow minded personal abuse on occasion.

All these three have suffered a backlash from players, not surprisingly almost all American, who claim a selfish motive on the part of Djokovic, because of his frown upon restrictions on numbers each is able to bring as an accompaniment.

Never mind that he and others from Europe, Asia, Australia, etc., have health concerns for their families, which would and should be the number one priority in decision making.

The media especially has been harsh towards Djokovic, damning him not just for comments re the US Open, but also for the Adria Tour which he recently organised - a successful clay court exhibition series of tournaments beginning in Serbia, featuring him, together with invited players including retired Jelena Janković and others from Serbia, and Dominic Thiem, Alexander Zverev and Grigor Dimitrov.

It was to bring back some tennis, and importantly raise money for charity. However, the only thing most media wanted to highlight, including ex players such as Chris Evert and Paul Annacone, was the lack of social distancing.

They don’t like Djokovic, and will take any opportunity to bring him down, despite the general tennis public welcoming him on and off the court. Novak knows that the Federer adoration factor is a once in a lifetime thing, so comparisons to that are ludicrous.

Novak Djokovic and his foundation deserve more praise than ridicule.

And the US Open should be classified unofficial unless the next two months provide a New York City miracle.

Roland Garros - cost to other tournaments

COVID-19 has wrecked tennis this year, but while Wimbledon succumbed, ultimately cancelled, French egos determined that Roland Garros would proceed in 2020, despite its normal calendar position being dashed.

So, the second major of the year has inserted itself into the playing calendar in September, specifically 20 September - 4 October.

All things being equal, this places it just after the US Open, traditionally the final of the four GS tournaments.

On the face of it, at least there is some tennis on the horizon - great for all concerned.

However, what about the original intentions ? There was never a GS event planned for this particular fortnight when the WTA and ATP drew up their respective plans.

What happens now with WTA events in:

Tokyo, Guangzhou, Seoul and Wuhan ?

ATP events in: 

St Petersburg, Metz, Chengdu, Zhuhai and Sofia ?

These were all scheduled to take place in the fortnight which is now gazetted for Roland Garros. The focus of all the top players will be on Paris, leaving the other tournaments bare, unless some contingency plan is instituted.

To this point, nothing has been addressed, at least publicly.

On the ATP and WTA websites, calendars haven’t even been updated to account for the Roland Garros change.

The implications for rankings is also problematic, but that is worth a separate discussion.

Remembering - Madrid 2019

Twelve months ago players from both the WTA and ATP tours were allowed to congregate, and they did so in Madrid. 

The Mutua Madrid Open consisted of a Premier Mandatory tournament for the women and a Masters 1000 event for the men.

It was played on red clay at the Park Manzanares in Spain’s capital.

WTA Mutua Madrid Open

Defending champion: Petra Kvitova (10) who defeated Kiki Bertens 7-6(6) 4-6 6-3 in the 2018 final.

In the field of 64, the sixteen seeds came from the worlds top seventeen players - the only one missing was world number 11, Serena Williams, who withdrew because of a commitment to the Met Gala in New York.

Top seed was Naomi Osaka, who survived the first round. Not so fortunate were seven other seeds - Elina Svitolina (6), Aryna Sabalenka (10), Caroline Wozniacki (11), Madison Keys (13), Anett Kontaveit (14), Wang Qiang (15) and Julia Goerges (16) all departed.

Angelique Kerber (4) and Karolina Pliskova (5) lost second round encounters, and Anastasija Sevastova (12) left in the round of sixteen, albeit to seventh seed Kiki Bertens.

Quarter final results:

- Belinda Bencic defeated Naomi Osaka (1) 3-6 6-2 7-5

- Simona Halep (3) defeated Ashleigh Barty (9) 7-5 7-5

- Sloane Stephens (8) defeated Petra Martic 6-4 6-3

- Kiki Bertens (7) defeated Petra Kvitova (2) 6-2 6-3, avenging the final loss a year previous.

Semi final results:

- Simona Halep (3) defeated Belinda Bencic 6-2 6-7(2) 6-0

- Kiki Bertens (7) defeated Sloane Stephens (8) 6-2 7-5

Final result:

- Kiki Bertens (7) defeated Simona Halep (3) 6-4 6-4, to become the first winner of the tournament not to drop a set throughout.

ATP Mutua Madrid Open

Defending champion: Alexander Zverev (2) who defeated Dominic Thiem (5) 6-4 6-4 in the 2018 final.

In the field of 56, the sixteen seeds came from the worlds top nineteen players - the three missing were Kevin Anderson (world #6), John (#10) Milos Raonic (#16).  They withdrew with elbow, foot and knee injuries respectively.

Top seed was Novak Djokovic, who survived the first round. Seeds who fell at the first hurdle were Daniil Medvedev (12), Borna Coric (13), Nikoloz Basilashvili (14) and Marco Cecchinato (16).

Juan Martin del Potro (7) and Karen Khachanov (11) left in the second round, and the round of sixteen was the end for Kei Nishikori (6), Fabio Fognini (10) and Gaël Monfils (15).

Fognini lost to Thiem and Monfils to Federer, so their departures were expected.

Quarter final results:

- Novak Djokovic (1) received a walkover from Marin Cilic (9)

- Dominic Thiem (5) defeated Roger Federer (4) 3-6 7-6(11) 6-4

- Stefanos Tsitsipas (8) defeated Alexander Zverev (3) 7-5 3-6 6-2

- Rafael Nadal (2) defeated Stan Wawrinka 6-1 6-2

Semi final results:

- Novak Djokovic (1) defeated Dominic Thiem (5) 7-6(2) 7-6(4)

- Stefanos Tsitsipas (8) defeated Rafael Nadal (2) 6-4 2-6 6-3

Final result:

- Novak Djokovic (1) defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas (8) 6-3 6-4 to record his 33rd Masters 1000 title.

The 2019 Mutua Madrid Open was the final professional tournament for David Ferrer.