China has announced a ban on all international sporting events for the remainder of 2020, which puts at least 12 ATP or WTA events in jeopardy.
According to the ATP, the order from China’s General Administration of Sports leaves the door open only for Olympic Trials for the 2022 winter games.
The WTA released a statement on Thursday, revealing its belief that there is room to negotiate with China and the Chinese Tennis Federation:
"To our knowledge, the report that has been circulated regarding a principle on international sporting events in China does not represent a final decision. The WTA continues to work closely with our events in China and the CTA and we will advise when we have more information. We remain on track with our decision timeline regarding the 2020 WTA Tour provisional calendar, which will be by the end of July."
If the tours aren't able to negotiate a work-around in China they will be forced to scramble and look for potential replacement cities or, worse, cancel the events. The WTA has eight events scheduled for China this fall, including Beijing, Wuhan and the lucrative WTA Finals Shenzhen. The ATP has four, including Beijing, Chengdu and the Rolex Masters Shanghai.