2021 Indian Wells may be canceled

Enceladus

Enceladus

Legend
The coronavirus pandemic strongly hit the 2020 tennis season, with a number of big tournaments canceled - Wimbledon, WTA Finals, most ATP Masters 1000 events or all WTA Premier Mandatory events. The first big canceled tournament in 2020 season was BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, which now threatens, that the edition 2021 will also be canceled. Again because of a pandemic.

Two canceled editions in a row would be a sad affair for a tournament that repeatedly gains awards from ATP & WTA as the best tournament of the year (in its category).

Link:

Start of season worries: Indian Wells could be canceled - Sports Finding

Advertisement The 2021 season has not started and the expectation and uncertainty are already high. The delay of Australian Open, scheduled to start on February 8, can cause a domino effect when it comes to the dates of the closest tournaments, a calendar dance in which the ATP works against the...
sportsfinding.com

Article:
The 2021 season has not started and the expectation and uncertainty are already high. The delay of Australian Open, scheduled to start on February 8, can cause a domino effect when it comes to the dates of the closest tournaments, a calendar dance in which the ATP works against the clock to finalize the last details.

That tsunami caused by the beginning of the first Grand Slam of the course would mean that a good number of tournaments would have to modify their dates in order to be held, and even others would be canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is the case of Indian Wells, first Masters 1,000 of the season, which could say goodbye to its edition in 2021 due to the increase in infections in the state of California in recent weeks. As the newspaper points out L'Équipe, A saturation of the hospitals would force a new confinement in the area, so the planned plans to manage the logistics of the tournament would be completely modified. The information from the French newspaper indicates that this option, today, is the most likely.

First ATP tournaments
Apart from the oceanic Grand Slam and the first Masters 1,000, the rest of the ATP tournaments that are usually part of the beginning of the season could change dates. The appointments of Montpellier, Rotterdam and Marseille would be delayed to get ahead and not coincide with the Australian Open, which will capture all the tennis spotlights in February for two weeks. Thus, from February 22 to 28, Montpellier would be held, from March 1 to 7, Rotterdam would be held and, finally, Marseille would put an end to this little tour from March 8 to 14. Even more incognito is the first clay court tour that takes place on South American soil, but everything indicates that with this dance of dates both Córdoba, Santiago de Chile or Acapulco will have to make room on other dates of the calendar.
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TennisIcon

TennisIcon

Rookie
Why would cases going up now somehow have an effect on a tournament that's not happening until March at the earliest.
 
The Blond Blur

The Blond Blur

G.O.A.T.
Friendship with Indian Wells over, now Monte Carlo is my best friend.

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BeatlesFan

BeatlesFan

Bionic Poster
Red Rick said:
Won't be able to stop the count for the forseeable future.
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I live in California and the most of the state is currently on a three-week stay at home order. The county in which IW is played is under a similar "lock down" mode. California as a state alone has recorded 1.35 million COVID cases and it's not getting any better, it's worsening by the day. In fact, it's exploding. Most of my tennis-savvy friends here in southern California have been saying for weeks IW will not be played. Larry Ellison plays things very conservatively and will cancel the event rather than put people in unnecessary danger. He doesn't need the money or prestige and carefully cultivates his public image. I don't know if it will be played, but the perception in the Coachella Valley (where IW is held) is that it very likely won't go forward.
 
Red Rick

Red Rick

Bionic Poster
BeatlesFan said:
I live in California and the most of the state is currently on a three-week stay at home order. The county in which IW is played is under a similar "lock down" mode. California as a state alone has recorded 1.35 million COVID cases and it's not getting any better, it's worsening by the day. In fact, it's exploding. Most of my tennis-savvy friends here in southern California have been saying for weeks IW will not be played. Larry Ellison plays things very conservatively and will cancel the event rather than put people in unnecessary danger. He doesn't need the money or prestige and carefully cultivates his public image. I don't know if it will be played, but the perception in the Coachella Valley (where IW is held) is that it very likely won't go forward.
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Makes sense.

I imagine Miami isn't doing any better but more likely to happen?
 
BeatlesFan

BeatlesFan

Bionic Poster
Milanez82 said:
IW will be canceled unless its billionaire owner is guaranteed to make money off it
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It was the first tennis tournament cancelled last year, long before the pandemic was a big issue in California. And you obviously know little about Ellison, he was the first tournament director to cancel last year's IW. Losing millions is like change to him.
 
BeatlesFan

BeatlesFan

Bionic Poster
Red Rick said:
Makes sense.

I imagine Miami isn't doing any better but more likely to happen?
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We'd have to get a Floridian to chime on that who knows the Miami event. Florida as a state has exceeded 1 million COVID cases, but the Miami-Dade area has done better than southern CA.

Honestly, if Indian Wells is cancelled, there may be little point of holding one last HC event when clay is just two weeks away. You almost need both tournaments to justify each other, since clay is right on their heels.
 
Steve0904

Steve0904

Talk Tennis Guru
Just wondering if there's any news on a vaccine. I'm hearing about vaccine rollouts now where I live. Obviously it will take months to vaccinate everyone, or at least most people so I still expect IW to be cancelled, but if a vaccine is somewhere on the near horizon then maybe we're closer to the end than the beginning? One can only hope.
 
zagor

zagor

Bionic Poster
Steve0904 said:
Just wondering if there's any news on a vaccine. I'm hearing about vaccine rollouts now where I live. Obviously it will take months to vaccinate everyone, or at least most people so I still expect IW to be cancelled, but if a vaccine is somewhere on the near horizon then maybe we're closer to the end than the beginning? One can only hope.
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Eh, it won't take that long. Probably medical and military personnel will get vaccinated first but after that it shouldn't take more than a few months for regular people.

The problem with the vaccines is the shortened trial periods so they're not as safe but it's either that or we continue being held hostage by this menace.
 
TennisManiac

TennisManiac

Hall of Fame
Steve0904 said:
Just wondering if there's any news on a vaccine. I'm hearing about vaccine rollouts now where I live. Obviously it will take months to vaccinate everyone, or at least most people so I still expect IW to be cancelled, but if a vaccine is somewhere on the near horizon then maybe we're closer to the end than the beginning? One can only hope.
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Supposedly there are two vaccines ready to be administered. They're working out how to transport the vaccines right now. But I'm hearing that front line health care workers and people with underlying conditions will be able to get vaccinated in a few weeks. Then everyone over 65 would be next in late January early February. Then the rest of us will be able to receive it late March early April.
 
Aussie Darcy

Aussie Darcy

Bionic Poster
-snake- said:
The USO went ahead just fine and it's a bigger event than IW :unsure: What's so different in CA? NY is one of the worst hit states by the beer thing (according to our ant overlords) and the tournament was played anyway. Hmm.
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The USO actually had many issues with players kicked out of the tournament for coming into contact with Benoit Paire who contracted Covid. Defending doubles champion Kristina Mladenovic was removed as the top seed with Babos because of contact with him. Adrian Mannarino's match against Zverev was delayed by hours as the health authorities wanted him to isolate but the tournament wanted him to play. Was not smooth or fine at all.
 
Subway Tennis

Subway Tennis

Legend
Aussie Darcy said:
The USO actually had many issues with players kicked out of the tournament for coming into contact with Benoit Paire who contracted Covid. Defending doubles champion Kristina Mladenovic was removed as the top seed with Babos because of contact with him. Adrian Mannarino's match against Zverev was delayed by hours as the health authorities wanted him to isolate but the tournament wanted him to play. Was not smooth or fine at all.
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The person you are responding to also seems to have forgotten that the tournament was missing many of the top women's seeds, along with Nadal, who all cited concern about the virus as the reason they weren't coming.

The draw was decimated before the event even started, so the idea it was smooth sailing for the US Open is real head in the sand stuff.
 
irishnadalfan1983

irishnadalfan1983

Hall of Fame
Aussie Darcy said:
Probably more to do with the fact the United States is smashing records with cases and deaths.
205,000 new cases and over 2,100 deaths in a single day yesterday from this pandemic. Don’t think Australia’s decision to push back two weeks is the reason.
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Let me explain...I was thinking some of the top players from Europe may not be up for IW after such a long time in AO, going through a bubble, etc. Normally more than a 2/3 week gap....
 
Chicharito

Chicharito

Hall of Fame
Steve0904 said:
Just wondering if there's any news on a vaccine. I'm hearing about vaccine rollouts now where I live. Obviously it will take months to vaccinate everyone, or at least most people so I still expect IW to be cancelled, but if a vaccine is somewhere on the near horizon then maybe we're closer to the end than the beginning? One can only hope.
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UK approved Pfizer last week. The first vaccinations take place tomorrow, there is hope all the very vulnerable will be done by March and all over 50s by Easter. Certainly light at the end of the tunnel, but winter will be tough.

I assume USA will approve soon and therefore have needles in arms before 2021.
 
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norcal

norcal

Legend
Chicharito said:
UK approved Pfizer last week. The first vaccinations take place tomorrow, there is hope all the very vulnerable will be done by March and all over 50s by Easter. Certainly light at the end of the tunnel, but winter will be tough.

I assume USA will approve soon and therefore have needles in arms before 2021.
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My mom is in assisted living here in CA and I got an email the other day saying they expect to start vaccinations at her place by the end of the month.

There is no way IW is being held in March. (last year was the first year I've missed in long time)
 
BGod

BGod

G.O.A.T.
Phizer cut roll-out amount in half meaning not great sign for vaccine timeline.

Milanez82 said:
IW will be canceled unless its billionaire owner is guaranteed to make money off it
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Tournaments should make money. Otherwise why even hold it?

Personally I don't think financing will justify IW or Miami this year. I'm still pretty stunned Cincy/USO went ahead and both lost money needing to use reserves.
 
socallefty

socallefty

G.O.A.T.
I also expect that the IW2021 tournament will be cancelled as it is hard to imagine that the health crisis in Southern California will subside enough by early March. The only chance might be if they move the date to the summer to be part of the follow up to the US Open.

I was hoping that being able to attend Indian Wells again in March next year as I have done for decades would be one of the first signs that we are getting on with a more normal post-pandemic life in the US. Just like the cancellation last March was one of the first signs that the sh#t was about to hit the fan. Time will tell, but I’m feeling pessimistic right now about IW being held.
 
Bartelby

Bartelby

Bionic Poster
Amateurism used to be considered the foundation stone of sport, so your perspective is a tad ahistorical.

BGod said:
Tournaments should make money. Otherwise why even hold it?

Personally I don't think financing will justify IW or Miami this year. I'm still pretty stunned Cincy/USO went ahead and both lost money needing to use reserves.
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D

Deleted member 770948

Guest
That is an injury waiting to happen.
No tennis and then suddenly the ATP Cup and Australian Open back-to-back....
ATP Cup is extremely hectic and physical (everybody trying 100% for their countries), not what you want just before the AO.
 
D

Deleted member 770948

Guest
Milanez82 said:
I see that as well but i don't get why Acapulco which is a warm up for IW and Miami is still held
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Acapulco would still exist regardless of whether or not Indian Wells and Miami existed.
Not just a warm-up, its an ATP500.
 
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