MADRID, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- The Madrid Open tennis tournament has been cancelled due to the fresh outbreak of COVID-19 in the region, organizers confirmed on Tuesday.
Originally scheduled for May, the postponed Madrid tournament was scheduled to take place on the clay courts at Caja Magica between September 12 and 20.
"We share in the disappointment that the Madrid Open will not be able to take place this year," said Andrea Gaudenzi, the ATP chairman, in a statement.
The Italian Open is due to go ahead in Rome in the week leading up to the Grand Slam at Roland Garros but it remains to be seen how other competitions react.
Recent COVID-19 outbreaks in Madrid had caused concern around maintaining the safety of players, staff and fans, despite daily cases of the virus falling dramatically in Spain through most of June and July.
There have been over 1,500 positive cases a day in the country over the past week and, in total, Spain has recorded more than 28,000 deaths, according to official figures.
The Palermo Ladies Open became the first official Tour event to take place since early March when the main draw began in Sicily on Monday. Enditem
