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Too Soon for Tennis?

The alarming sight of the Adria Tour audience.

As COVID-19 continues to poke its way into the sports that we enjoy, the International Tennis Federation recently canceled the World Tennis Tour U.S. events planned for August. Although this is a disappointing development, the Adria Tour, hosted by all-star Novak Djokovic, has proved that this is a wise choice: he has since tested positive for the virus, along with other participating athletes. 

Despite other exhibition events prohibiting live audiences and simple handshakes after a good game, few masks were seen in the sea of thousands of raving fans sitting on top of one another. With Serbia and Croatia lifting many of its protective restrictions, Djokovic’s promise of adhering to the government was kept, as they allowed him to entertain this fairytale of normalcy.

And, as they do, all fairytales must come to an end.

The short-lived tour disintegrated as positive cases emerged along with criticism from all sides; even the star’s father condemned him for putting his family and others in danger. Even though he had great intentions to put on the ultimate contest of the best against the best, it was definitely too soon to abandon all guidelines that many are still following, especially for large sporting events.

Concerns also lie in the loosening of restrictions in southern parts of the US. With the DraftKings All-American Team Cup in Atlanta, Georgia – which required temperature checking and testing for entry, but was not the most demanding on face coverings – Frances Tiafoe announced his diagnosis after winning his first match. He believes he contracted it while training in Florida, the latest COVID-19 global epicenter.

With these developments, it seems like tennis will need to wait longer, along with other sports, to re-emerge. Although this brings sadness, there is also great anticipation as well: one day soon, events will make major comebacks and only add further to the history of this intense sport. Regardless of how long it will take, fans will eagerly stand by to once again cheer on their favorites side-by-side.        

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