Romanian tennis player Simona Halepová.
Twitter@hawt_red
The Prague Open will be played with a $ 225,500 grant. It is a new tournament included in the WTA calendar, which was affected by the covid-19 pandemic and forced the cancellation of the J&T Banka Prague Open at the turn of April and May.
Tournaments of the Prague level can usually have only one player from the top ten in the world, but due to the extraordinary situation, the organizers could invite two in agreement with the WTA. A total of six tennis players from the elite twenty should play.
The first tournament after the coronavirus break will not be played in Washington
“Probably the biggest sporting event in the Czech Republic is going to Prague in 2020. If something unexpected doesn’t happen, we will really have something completely extraordinary. We have stars in the starting field that we never even dreamed of. It is the strongest tournament in history. who has ever been here, “said Ivo Kaderka, President of the Czech Tennis Association, at a press conference.
Extraordinary is the acquisition of last year’s winner Roland Garros and reigning Wimbledon champion Halepová. She should play in Palermo a week before Prague. “Communication with her manager was direct. There was also a direct connection, where I personally discussed the options with Simona. Given the mix, this resulted in an agreement with Simona in five minutes twelve,” described tournament director David Trunda. “I’m looking forward to the tournament in beautiful Prague. I’ll see you in August,” Halep said in a video.
Last year in Ostrava she helped the Romanians to win the 1st round of the Fed Cup and Kaderka was excited to welcome her to the Czech Republic again. “She is one of the most likable players on the circuit and a real star. Apart from being an amazing tennis player, she is also a great person,” he said.
Markéta Vondroušová was worried about the 3rd part of the Tipsport Elite Trophy.
Michal Kamaryt, ČTK
So far, last year’s finalists Karolína Muchová, Barbora Strýcová and Kateřina Siniaková have made it to the main competition. Petra Kvitová avoids clay due to problems with her forearm, and world number three Karolína Plíšková has previously said that she will prefer preparation for American concrete. She also has health problems, she suffers from her wrists.
The Prague Spring Tournament has been a part of the WTA circuit in the International category since 2015. The first winner was Karolína Plíšková, in 2016 Lucie Šafářová succeeded and the year before last Kvitová reigned in Stromovka. It usually attracts a lot of fans, but this time it will be played without spectators. Further details of measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus will be presented later by the organizers. “The whole manual of things from the WTA had to be respected, which I don’t want to open now. We accepted it all,” Kaderka said.
The professional tennis circuit has been running since March. In recent weeks, at least various exhibition events have taken place. The WTA tournaments are scheduled to relaunch on August 3, when the clay event is scheduled for Palermo. After the Prague stop, the players should move to American concrete, but the fate of the local tournaments, including the US Open Grand Slam, is uncertain due to the deteriorating situation in the USA.
.
