New Zealand’s ASB Tennis Classic, an event which historically generates over $2 million to Auckland’s tourism economy in January, and over 13,000 visitor nights to the city, has been cancelled for 2021.
Tournament director Karl Budge said plans were well underway for the tournament but with too much uncertainty amid the Covid-19 environment the internationally acclaimed event, attracting world class professionals like Serena and Venus Williams, has been cancelled.
COVID-19 quarantine restrictions have made the annual fixture untenable, forcing both the men’s and women’s events into a one-year hiatus.
The men’s tournament won’t be played for the first time since its 1956 inception, while the women’s event has been a fixture since 1985.
Three months ago, tournament director Karl Budge applied for a Government exemption to allow a shorter quarantine period for players, asking for the period to be reduced from the mandatory 14 days to just three days, similar to that now approved for the Australian rugby team.
However that hope has now evaporated and the tournament has been called off.
