WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — The Winston-Salem Open confirmed Wednesday that its next tournament will take place in August 2021. The decision comes after the release of the ATP’s adjusted 2020 men’s professional tennis calendar. The Winston-Salem Open was originally scheduled for Aug. 22 through Aug. 29. It is traditionally the finale of the summer-long US Open Series.
At the direction of the ATP, the Winston-Salem Open leadership developed several scenarios for a 2020 tournament. However, it is the governing board of the ATP that has the responsibility and authority in the event of extraordinary circumstances to reschedule the calendar, the organization said in a news release.
Winston-Salem Open organizers said they believe the 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 had conversations about the tennis calendar and the reopening of professional tennis over the last three months. To ensure the safety of the players and the viability of the US Open, the USTA created 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 said it will take precautions to protect players and staff, including continuous testing, additional cleaning, extra locker room space, dedicated housing, and transportation. The players and everyone associated with the tournament will be required to commit to living in a protective bubble. Public health experts, governmental officials and senior USTA leadership recommend a closed environment during the week leading up to the US Open, the release said. Holding the Western & Southern Open prior to the US Open on the same property made it possible, according to the release.
“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. 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 generate funds this year that allow it to continue supporting those initiatives.
“These funds are the foundation of a powerful catalyst that develops and grows tennis in America,” Ryan said. “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.”