WASHINGTON, December 18, 2020 (by Michael Dickens)
When the ATP Tour announced the first seven weeks of its revised 2021 calendar on Thursday, one tournament that was missing was the New York Open, an ATP 250 indoor event described as “home of the black court” that takes place in early February at the NYCB Live Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Long Island. Created in 2018, it is usually held about two weeks after the completion of the Australian Open. This year, the New York Open shared week No. 6 in the ATP Tour calendar along with the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam and the Argentina Open in Buenos Aires.
However, with the start of the Australian Open pushed back three weeks to comply with Australian government health and safety protocols brought on from the coronavirus pandemic, the New York Open, along with tournaments in Auckland, New Zealand and Pune, India were removed from the ATP calendar in part due to overlapping dates.
An announcement from the #NYOpen: https://t.co/Qvfbno1voQ pic.twitter.com/Qu98k9ElBd
— #NYOpen (@NewYorkOpen) December 17, 2020
Peter Lebedevs, the tournament director for the New York Open, confirmed the event’s cancellation for 2021 in a statement:
“The health and safety of our participants, staff and fans is always our top priority at the New York Open, and at present this focus is heightened by the devastating COVID-19 global pandemic. In collaboration with the ATP, we underwent an extensive process evaluating the viability of hosting the New York Open in February 2021.
“Ultimately, with the well-being of our community in mind, and a commitment to strict adherence to current New York State guidelines for professional sporting events and out of state travel, we determined that the logistical and financial impact on the event would be insurmountable. In addition, the shifting professional tennis calendar due to the pandemic significantly impacted the availability of players.
“While we are very disappointed to have to make this decision, we know tthe more important issue of today is the health and safety of our community. Our thoughts remain with those impacted by COVID-19 and we are forever grateful to the medical professionals that continue to support their communities every day.”
Viktor Troicki: Named Serbia’s new Davis Cup captain
Viktor Troicki, 34, who was a member of Serbia’s first Davis Cup championship team in 2010, was named team captain on Thursday. He’s been given the position on a four-year term. “It’s a huge honor and a huge privilege to be captain of Davis Cup Team Serbia, a team that has won the Davis Cup and also had a lot of success in the past years,” Troicki said, quoted by the Davis Cup website.
“It’s a dream come true. I didn’t expect that it would come so soon but definitely it was something that I was looking forward to.”
“It’s a dream come true. I didn’t expect that it would come so soon but definitely it was something that I was looking forward to” – @troicki_viktor 🇷🇸#DavisCup pic.twitter.com/x9Uzk2QM9V
— Davis Cup (@DavisCup) December 17, 2020
Leylah Fernandez: Humbled by her Tennis Canada Excellence Award
Just 18, Leylah Fernandez reacted to her Tennis Canada 2020 Excellence Award as Female Player of the Year and Most Improved Player on social media Wednesday. She wrote:
“Wow, @tenniscanada I am so honored & humbled that you have chosen me for the Tennis Canada Excellence Award for 2020 Female Player of the Year! 🥰 2020 has been a year full of challenges and finding a way to persevere. Winning this award during such trying times is extremelyspecial to me & something I will always cherish. I am proud of what I accomplished this season and want to thank everyone who has supported me along the way! I look forward to what 2021 will bring! ♥️🇨🇦”
Fernandez, a Montreal native who won the 2019 French Open girls’ junior singles title, turned pro in 2020 and finished the season ranked 88th. She was a finalist last February in Acapulco and also had two other noteworthy finishes, both on hard courts. Fernandez reached the quarterfinals in Monterrey in March and coming out of the five-month tour hiatus, advanced to the round of 16 at Lexington after qualifying for the main draw. She also competed in the main draw at all three Grand Slams in 2020.
est extrêmement spécial pour moi et quelque chose que je chérirai toujours. Je suis fière de ce que j’ai accompli cette saison et je tiens à remercier tous ceux qui m’ont soutenu en cours de route! J’ai hâte de voir ce que 2021 apportera! ♥️🇨🇦
— leylahfernandez (@leylahfernandez) December 16, 2020
special to me & something I will always cherish. I am proud of what I accomplished this season and want to thank everyone who has supported me along the way! I look forward to what the 2021 will bring! ♥️🇨🇦
— leylahfernandez (@leylahfernandez) December 16, 2020
Citi Open: Sharing a snow angel
consider this our snow angel ❄️#SnowStorm2020 pic.twitter.com/0TGvkBY2Rz
— Citi Open (@CitiOpen) December 17, 2020
Exploring the Black pioneers of tennis
This digital exhibit exploring Black tennis pioneers is incredible.
If you haven’t seen the @TennisHalloFame’s “Breaking the Barriers” exhibit yet, please give it the time it deserves. #HistoryMatters #EqualityForAll https://t.co/GpHVPx2nLe
— Billie Jean King (@BillieJeanKing) December 17, 2020
What they’re podcasting
Andy Murray joins Daniela Hantuchova’s “The Real DNA” podcast to talk tennis and much more.
Just about time i tweeted smthing in more than year and half 😊.
Sir @andy_murray in the new episode of my #theREALDNA podcast where we discuss not only his Xmas jumper plan but his very adjustable cooking skills as well😉🎅👨🍳🏆🎄🎙.Out now at @Spotify @ApplePodcasts pic.twitter.com/Wibm94tc4F— Daniela Hantuchová (@dhantuchova) December 16, 2020
What they’re writing
Steve Tignor, Tennis.com writer, from “The First Rafa: Remembering Rafael Osuna”: “Rafael Osuna still represents everything we want tennis to be. Fifty years after his tragic death, we remember Mexico’s greatest player, and his place on the greatest college tennis team of all time.”
RIP Dennis Ralston. Last year I wrote about his doubles partner Rafael Osuna and their legendary 1963 USC team. Ralston played No. 1 and led the US to a Davis Cup title; Osuna played No. 2 and won Forest Hills. In 1960, they won Wimbledon doubles together https://t.co/xAMqMOGxLR
— Steve Tignor (@SteveTignor) December 16, 2020
Season’s greetings from the Laver Cup
Season’s Greetings pic.twitter.com/yn8gg8HkV4
— Laver Cup (@LaverCup) December 16, 2020
What they’re sharing on social media
Maria Sharapova / ‘I said yes from the first day we met. ❤️’
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