The prestigious ATP and WTA tournament at Indian Wells, California, will return in October, organizers said Thursday, after twice being shelved due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“This year’s edition, postponed from its customary dates in March due to Covid-19, is now intended to take place in October, for 2021 only,” said an ATP statement.
The 2020 edition of the Indian Wells event was cancelled as the first wave of the pandemic swept the world.
The tournament dates for 2021 will be announced after the confirmation of the autumn calendar by the ATP and WTA Tours.
“We are ecstatic to have the opportunity to hold the BNP Paribas Open in October and bring professional tennis back to the desert,” said tournament director Tommy Haas.
“We have never wavered in our desire to create an unforgettable experience this fall in Tennis Paradise for our fans, players and sponsors.”
Elsewhere, the ATP’s Stockholm Open will now take place from November 7-13 in the same week as the Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan.
“The ATP continues to monitor the impact of Covid-19 in assessing the provisional Q4 calendar, including the three-week sequence of events in Asia, in order to ensure optimised player flow,” said a ATP statement.
“Since the resumption of the Tour in August 2020, we have had to take an agile approach to the calendar with the aim of staging as many of our events as possible,” said ATP chairman Andrea Gaudenzi.
“Everyone in our sport has missed the BNP Paribas Open over the past two years and its return this October is great for tennis.”