Dominic Thiem, Alexander Zverev to feature in Berlin tournament without spectators
Stars such as ATP World No. 3 Dominic Thiem, NextGen leader Alexander Zverev and WTA No. 5 Elina Svitolina are expected to participate in a Berlin event in July, where they will be accompanied by other ATP and WTA players. The event will reportedly replace the Berlin WTA tournament that was initially scheduled to be held in June.
The tennis season was suspended in March because of the COVID-19 outbreak. It has been almost three months since then, and there are still concerns over the health and safety of the participants and attendees at tennis tournaments. There has been very limited action on the courts lately, but recent developments suggest we might be inching towards full-fledged resumption of play.
Many players like Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Dominic Thiem, among others, have already gotten back to training - in preparation for upcoming tournaments in late July and August.
Both ATP and WTA tournaments have suffered in lieu of the suspension of play. Several reputed events like Barcelona, Madrid, Rome, Rogers Cup and Wimbledon have been cancelled, causing the tournament organizers to lose a lot of revenue.
One of the managers facing that plight is Barbara Rittner, who has been the Tournament Director of the Grass Court Championships in Berlin since October 2019. But the tournament - which was supposed to be held from 15 to 21 June at the Steffi Graf Stadion - had to be canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Match practice opportunity for Dominic Thiem, Alexander Zverev and others
According to Bild, Rittner is behind the top-class replacement tournament in July, with the backing of E Motion Sports Group. Dominic Thiem and Alexander Zverev are expected to add star value to the mixed gender event, and they would also be looking to get some valuable match practice ahead of the possible resumption of the tour in August.
Dominic Thiem has already returned to playing competitive tennis at the Generali Austrian Pro Series. He beat compatriot Lucas Miedler in straight sets in his first match of the tournament.
Alexander Zverev, meanwhile, will be getting back on the courts in June, as part of the 'Adria Tour' being organized by World No. 1 Novak Djokovic. The German, like Dominic Thiem, will be hoping to fine-tune his game ahead of the official North American hardcourt events in August.
The Berlin tournament is backed by Edwin Weindorfer, tennis manager of E Motion Sports Group, who reportedly insisted on Alexander Zverev and Dominic Thiem being there. Former World No. 9 Julia Görges and 2019 Wimbledon semifinalist Elina Svitolina will also be participating in the event, as will Sabine Lisicki who is expected to make a comeback from mononucleosis.
The organizers are hoping to conduct the tournament from 13 to 19 July but without spectators, as they don't want to jeopardize the health of the fans. The Steffi Graf Stadium at LTTC Rot-Weiß Berlin is intended to be the main venue, whose new lawn courts were originally scheduled to be inaugurated in June.
Dominic Thiem and Alexander Zverev have enjoyed plenty of success as well as fan support in Germany in the past. Alexander Zverev has twice reached the final of the grasscourt event in Halle, while Dominic Thiem has gone one better, winning the tournament in Stuttgart.
Both the players will be looking to take this opportunity to continue their recent good form. Dominic Thiem reached the 2020 Australian Open final, whereas Alexander Zverev reached his maiden Grand Slam semifinal at the same event.