In a bid to reinstate a semblance of regularity to organized tennis, the men and women’s tours yesterday released its provisional calendars marking the resumption of sanctioned competition in August. On one hand, it’s still a month and a half away, giving the Association of Tennis Professionals and the Women’s Tennis Association leeway to establish safety protocols for event participants while in the midst of the pandemic. On the other, it’s just a month and a half away, with not quite enough time in between to pin down the moving target that is the novel coronavirus. There are risks involved, especially in light of the sport’s global nature; depth of field is directly tied to mobility, which is currently restricted for obvious reasons.
That said, the fact that the internal planning of the two tours has progressed enough for them to release working schedules is good news. There remains much to be done, but work has been ample to the point of ensuring that players returning to the court is a matter of when, not if. And, as with the restarts in other sports, that in tennis involves significant sacrifice, commitment, and focus off a thorough assessment of pros and cons. There’s no question that all and sundry want to get back on their feet. There’s also no doubt that reasonable second-guessing will come before any decision either way.
For the United States Tennis Association, the tours’ timetable dovetails with its own on the staging of the US Open. The pinpointed late-August start to the Grand Slam event affords those casting moist eyes on the championship to get back to shape. Nonetheless, the means will be harder; quarantine protocols will constrict movement to and from practice courts, and then to tournament venues, where bubble systems will be set up to minimize the possibility of infection. Already, protests from hopefuls in other countries have blasted the decision not to cancel the major stop as exceedingly unfair.
In truth, the setting of ideals as minimum standards has become untenable. With chaos introduced by the pandemic at every turn, all the USTA has been able to do is cope by first regaining its footing, and then striving to strike a rational balance en route to the new normal. And, in this regard, the key isn’t avoiding mistakes; there are too many variables for even the most forward-thinking quarters to project every eventuality. Instead, the goal is to keep learning from them. Sense and sensibility dictate the need to stunt the negatives and maximize the positives. Easier said than done? Certainly. Then again, the first step is always the hardest to take. It is also the most important; if nothing else, it underscores a burning desire to try.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and Human Resources management, corporate communications, and business development.
