Event organisers today announced that the Laver Cup will not be held in 2020, but will return to Boston in 2021, a move prompted by changes to the international tennis calendar which created a scheduling conflict with other major international tennis events.
The fourth edition of the Laver Cup will now be held at TD Garden in Boston from 24-26 September 2021.
Since the French Open’s 17 March rescheduling announcement, Laver Cup organisers have been closely monitoring the situation with their partners – Tennis Australia and the USTA – as well as the ATP. Ultimately though, the international tennis schedule precluded the ability of the organisers to stage the event and therefore there was no reason to delay the inevitable decision.
“We needed to make a decision now on our event,” Laver Cup Chairman and CEO of TEAM8 Tony Godsick said. “We know our passionate fans will be disappointed that they have to wait an extra year for the Laver Cup in Boston, but this is the responsible course of action, necessitated by the emerging calendar conflicts.”
“We wanted to call it now to provide certainty for our fans as well as our players, sponsors, broadcasters, partners, staff, volunteers and of course the great city of Boston. We thank them all for their unwavering dedication, hard work, support and understanding and we can’t wait to bring happier times to Boston in 2021.”
“Most importantly, all of our thoughts are with the massive number of people around the world impacted by COVID-19 and the incredible selfless people working on the front line keeping many of us safe.”
“We created the Laver Cup to celebrate the greats of the game – past, present and future – and to grow the game of tennis,” Godsick continued. “The Laver Cup is only at the start of a long and incredible journey which will continue next year.”
“It’s unfortunate that the Laver Cup has to be pushed back a year, but at this stage it’s the right thing to do for everyone concerned,” 20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer explained.
“Although disappointing, the good news is that TD Garden will still be able to host the event next year and I really look forward to finally playing in Boston for the first time at Laver Cup 2021.”
Laver Cup CEO, Steve Zacks reiterated: “After careful consideration we all agreed that in order to provide the Laver Cup experience that everyone has come to love and expect, moving the event to September 2021 was the only option.”
Amy Latimer, President of TD Garden commented, “While obviously disappointed that given the circumstances we have to wait another year until world class tennis comes to TD Garden, we are pleased that we will be able to host the Laver Cup in 2021 and deliver the event that the Boston community was so looking forward to. We will be working closely with the Laver Cup team to ensure the event exceeds expectations.”
Fans who purchased tickets and/or hospitality packages for this year’s event can either keep their tickets (which will remain valid for the Laver Cup 2021 event) or receive a full refund. All ticketholders will be contacted in the near future with details of this process. Further 2021 event updates including ticket on sale information will soon be provided on LaverCup.com.
Our thoughts and sympathies are with all the families who have lost loved ones in the COVID-19 epidemic and we would like to express our enormous gratitude to the front-line workers around the world working so hard to try and stem the rate of infection and treat those who are ill.
Source: ATP World Tour
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