PUNE: The rescheduling of next year's Australian Open due to the COVID-19 pandemic has forced the organisers of the Tata Open Maharashtra to look for fresh dates in the second half of the calender.
The ongoing pandemic has disrupted the start of the ATP season and the Australian Open, which usually takes place in January, will now be played from February 8 to 21.
The Tata Open Maharashtra, South Asia's only ATP tour event, is staged in February every year but now the organisers are in talks with ATP for exploring a possible slot in the second half of the calender.
"The organisers are keen to host the fourth edition of the event and have been in talks with the ATP, the governing body of men's professional tennis, to explore a possible slot in the second half of the calendar," a media release said on Sunday.
Tata Open Maharashtra Tournament Director Prashant Sutar said: "Live sports have been the worst hit in the COVID-19 pandemic times and it has been facing tough challenges.
However, it's heartening to see a slow and steady comeback as tournaments have started taking place.
"While a number of events are cancelled and postponed, we are happy that we still have an opportunity to rework the dates and stage the tournament.We, at Tata Open Maharashtra, are committed to bringing the tournament back for Indian tennis fans."
The rescheduling of the event will also give the organisers ample time to create a secure bubble environment and implement their plans in the best interest of the players and stakeholders.
It will also provide the organisers the time to "work with the government to reassess the 14-day quarantine rule with existing international protocols."
Currently ATP follows the international norm of 72-hour prior test and negative certification instead of 14-day quarantine.
Extending its full support, Maharashtra State Lawn Tennis Association (MSLTA) secretary Sunder Iyer said we "are working closely with the organisers IMG Reliance to stage the prestigious tournament once again with all the glory along with the best safety protocols in place."
The last edition of the Tata Open Maharashtra saw Czech Republic's Jiri Vesely emerging champion in the singles while the pair of Andre Goransson and Christopher Rungkat claimed the doubles title.