Madrid: The organisers of the Madrid Open have been advised by local health authorities in the Spanish capital to not hold the rescheduled event in September due to the resurgence of the coronavirus in the country.
"In view of this situation, the organisers of the Mutua Madrid Open requested the help of Antonio Zapatero, Deputy Secretary of Public Health, and were advised not to stage the tournament due to the current trend of covid-19 cases," the organisers said in a statement on Saturday.
Novak Djokovic is the defending champion of Madrid Open. The organizers said they are analyzing and closely evaluating all the possible options, while always focusing on guaranteeing the safety of all those involved in the tournament.
"In light of the advice of the competent health organisations, and given the difficult situation caused by covid-19 (with a considerable increase in cases in Madrid and in Spain), the organisers of the Mutua Madrid Open are analysing and closely evaluating all the possible options, while always focusing on guaranteeing the safety of all those involved in the tournament," the statement further read.
Earlier in May, the tournament was postponed to September due to the severe coronavirus outbreak in the country. The Madrid Open, which was rescheduled to take place from September 12-20 and features both men's and women's events, is an important tournament for the players to prepare for the French Open which now begins on September 27.
Kiki Bertens won the 2019 Madrid Open women's singles title. In total, Spain has recorded more than 306,370 cases of the novel coronavirus and 28,445 deaths since the start of the pandemic, according to the latest figures of the Johns Hopkins University.
The organisers added that they were keen to make a decision in good time as it was “impossible to guarantee a positive change in this situation in the coming weeks.”
