Many tennis players can still play in top games. But perhaps most surprisingly, after 27 months of tournament cancellations, spectator-free events, constant testing and bubblelike environments, tennis may have finally moved past Covid-19. For nearly two years, longer than just about every other major sport, tennis struggled to coexist with the pandemic. Last Nov. when the N.F.L. the N.B.A. had resumed a life that largely resembled 2019, tennis players were still living with restrictions on their movements, conducting online video news conferences, and having cotton swabs stuck up their noses at tournaments. Because of Covid, tennis has had many rules and restrictions and shifting the rules sometimes weekly.
Tennis, unlike other sports that surged ahead of health and medical guidelines to keep their coffers filled, has had to reflect where society at large has been at every stage of the pandemic. Its major organizers canceled or postponed everything in the spring and early summer of 2020, though Djokovic held an exhibition tournament that ended up being something of a super spreader event.
“So many rules,” Rafael Nadal said. “For some people some rules are fine; for others rules are not fine. If there are some rules, we need to follow the rules. If not, the world is a mess.” Officials with the men’s and women’s tours said regardless of infection levels, their organizations had no intention of resuming regular testing or restricting player movements. They said they will follow the lead of local officials. A lot of tennis players are suffering because of covid, making so many rules.
Tennis, unlike other sports that surged ahead of health and medical guidelines to keep their coffers filled, has had to reflect where society at large has been at every stage of the pandemic. Its major organizers canceled or postponed everything in the spring and early summer of 2020, though Djokovic held an exhibition tournament that ended up being something of a super spreader event.
“So many rules,” Rafael Nadal said. “For some people some rules are fine; for others rules are not fine. If there are some rules, we need to follow the rules. If not, the world is a mess.” Officials with the men’s and women’s tours said regardless of infection levels, their organizations had no intention of resuming regular testing or restricting player movements. They said they will follow the lead of local officials. A lot of tennis players are suffering because of covid, making so many rules.