Indian Wells 2021 Unlikely To Take Place as ATP Schedules Other Event

It looks like the Indian Wells 2021 could be canceled for the second time in a row. It was the first major tennis tournament to be canceled in March 2020 because of the rise in COVID-19 cases around the world. The 2021 edition was scheduled for March 8-21, but now there is an ATP 250 tournament scheduled from March 8th to March 14th.

The Open 13, an ATP 250 tournament held in Marseille, France has set the provisional dates for their tournament from March 8th to 14th. It highly depends on the situation of the Indian Wells. If the tournament in Los Angeles gets postponed or canceled, then Open 13 will be held in its place.

Last year, Open 13 occupied the 3rd week of February in the ATP Calendar. But owing to the delay at the Australian Open 2021, the organizers are now forced to push the event to March 2021.

How could the cancelation of Indian Wells 2021 affect the ATP and WTA Calendar?

The cancelation of the Indian Wells 2021 will be an enormous blow to ATP and WTA. It is often regarded as a ‘fifth slam’ because of its stature in the calendar.

It is a Masters 1000 and a WTA 1000 level tournament. Also, the tournament is a financial boon for local businesses. The event brings in approximately $400 million in revenue per year to the event and the surrounding region. So it’s cancelation would see a combined loss of $800 million as the tournament wasn’t held in 2020 as well.

The cancellation or postponement of Indian Wells also puts dark clouds over the Miami Open. Both the tournaments happen successively on the ATP and WTA calendars. Miami Open is also an ATP Masters 1000 and a WTA 1000 event, thus holding prominence in the respective calendars. When a player wins both the tournaments in the same year, he or she achieves the ‘Sunshine Double’.

Going into 2021, everybody wants to go back to the old normal before the pandemic. But the new wave of COVID-19 cases have pushed the 2021 Australian Open to February 8th. This has shifted other tournaments, and the ATP and WTA are having a hard time settling their provisional 2021 calendars.

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