STARNBERG, April 19, 2020

According to British newspaper The Telegraph, the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate is set to host an exhibition event behind closed doors from May 1 as the international tennis circuit remains suspended due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

The report said players at the Tennis Point Exhibition Series will have to wear masks when not in action and there will only be two competitors and a chair umpire allowed on court during a match.

The tournament will feature an eight-man draw contesting a total of 32 matches over four days on indoor clay at the Base Tennis Academy near the small town of Höhr-Grenzhausen, situated about 10 km northeast of Koblenz. The Tennis Channel will broadcast the matches while scores will be streamed for betting through data company Sportradar.

Two Germans are set to lead the line-up: World No. 143 Yannick Hanfmann and World No. 239 Dustin Brown. None of the players to be involved in the event are currently ranked inside the Top 100.

“I am looking forward to play some points, as I miss the competition,” Hanfmann said in an interview with Sky Germany on Sunday afternoon. “It is not an easy time for all of us tennis players, as we are used to deal with a packed scheduled. Now we can enjoy a lot of free-time, which also feels a bit weird.”

Hanfmann also mentioned that the tournament will be a chance to generate some income but also announced that part of it will be donated to local charities.

German Tennis Federation to organize exhibition series

According to DTB Vice-President Dirk Hordorff, the German and the Austrian Tennis Federation as well as tennis website tennisnet.com are also set to organize a six-week exhibition series with 32 men featuring Dominic Thiem, Philipp Kohlschreiber and Jan-Lennard Struff. Twenty-four women will also be part of the line-up. The scheduled start date for the event in Austria is May 5, in Germany June 8.

On April 15, Chancellor Angela Merkel along with the state premiers of Germany’s 16 states announced that the country will begin to ease coronavirus lockdown restrictions in the coming weeks. Starting on Monday, sports facilities can reopen in Rhineland-Palatinate, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Brandenburg.

Tennis in den 16 Bundesländern
(Stand: 17. April 22:00)

BW ❌
BY❌
BE❌
BB❌
HB❌
HH❌
HE❌
MV ✅ ➡️ 20. April
NI ❌
NW ❌
RP ✅➡️ 20. April
SL ❌
SN❌
ST❌
SH✅➡️ 4. Mai
TH ❌

News dazu gerne hier posten!#COVID19 #Lockerung #tennisneverstops

— tennis MAGAZIN (@tennismagazin) April 17, 2020