World TeamTennis is planning to conduct its 2020 season in West Virginia in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. The three-week coed league will be held at the Greenbrier resort in White Sulphur Springs from July 12 to Aug. 1., according to Marc Stein of the New York Times.
Nine teams are slated to take part in the once a year league despite the professional men’s and women’s tennis tours being suspended. A couple of stars have already signed on to play, including 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin, 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens, and the doubles team of Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan. Stein famous that World TeamTennis is expected to “pursue other marquee signings” before league play begins in July.
In World TeamTennis, sets go up to five games fairly than the six games on the professional tours. The league has men’s and women’s singles, men’s and women’s doubles, and mixed doubles and is without doubt one of the few tennis leagues that allow women and men to play on the same team.
Despite the coronavirus pandemic, World TeamTennis chief executive Carlos Silva recently told the Associated Press that the league is “still on target for July 12” in relation to beginning the 2020 season.
According to Stein, the league is in the process of finalizing its safety procedures and hasn’t determined if fans will be allowed to attend matches. The tennis world has already seen Wimbledon and the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Calif. canceled because of COVID-19. As of at the moment, the U.S. Open and dressing Open are still scheduled to start in September.
World TeamTennis used to be founded in 1974.