WASHINGTON — The hard-court tournament in the nation’s capital that was supposed to mark the official return of men’s professional tennis amid the pandemic was scrapped Tuesday — but the group in charge of the U.S. Open immediately said the tuneup’s cancellation “in no way impacts” its Grand Slam event.
The Citi Open, scheduled to start with Aug. 13 qualifying, was called off because of what tournament manager Mark Ein said are “too many unresolved external issues, including various international travel restrictions as well as troubling health and safety trends.”
Calling the cancellation of the Washington tournament “disappointing,” ATP chairman Andrea Gaudenzi said: “Unfortunately for the moment, there are still large factors at play, which are outside of our control.