US Open thrown into doubt after Citi Open cancelled to delay return of men's ATP Tour

Tournament was due to stage the return of the ATP Tour in August, just two weeks before the US Open is due to get underway in New York

The scheduled August resumption of the ATP Tour has been delayed after the Citi Open in Washington was cancelled.

The tournament was due to be the first men’s professional competition on the ATP Tour since the sport was paused in March because of the coronavirus pandemic, with the first day set for 13 August to begin the build-up to the US Open at the end of the month.

But organisers announced on Tuesday that due to the ongoing uncertainty surrounding the crisis, there was no choice but to cancel this year’s Citi Open.

The move throws the US Open into serious doubt, with the second Grand Slam of the year due to begin on Monday 31 August and run until Sunday 13 September.

Chairman of the Citi Open Mark Ein said: "After months of tireless work by our team and close collaboration with our many stakeholders, we are heartbroken to announce that we must unfortunately postpone the 52nd Citi Open until the summer of 2021.

"With only 23 days left until the start of the tournament, there are too many unresolved external issues, including various international travel restrictions as well as troubling health and safety trends, that have forced us to make this decision now in fairness to our players, suppliers and partners so that they can have certainty around their planning."

The US Open is already set to be without a number of key players, with Roger Federer ruled out of the rest of the 2020 season after undergoing knee surgery. Both Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal have expressed their doubts about playing at Flushing Meadows, while Australian Nick Kyrgios condemned the decision to stage the tournament while travel restrictions and quarantine rules remain in place.

American Serena Williams has committed to taking part along with sister Venus, but with the Citi Open now cancelled, there will be just one ATP tournament before the US Open in the form of the Western & Southern Open - which also takes place at Flushing Meadows - which begins on 20 August. The ATP said that they remain in talks with the United States Tennis Association regarding both events.