2020 BNP Paribas Open will not be held as scheduled

Indian Wells Tennis Garden (P. Alejandro Diaz, Wikimedia Commons)

Late Sunday night it was reported that the 2020 BNP Paribas Open would not occur as scheduled this week due to the Coronavirus. According to the ATP Tour, the tournament in Indian Wells, California is the only tournament at this time that is cancelled, as the world’s best players are still planning to compete in Miami, Florida later this month.

Currently there is a public health emergency in the Palm Springs region of southern California. There have now been four reported cases of the disease. Meanwhile, Murrieta Valley High School in southern California is closed while an employee is being tested for Coronavirus.

There is hope from Indian Wells tournament organizers to reschedule the BNP Paribas Open at another time this year. The major question at this time is simply when? Don’t forget this is an Olympic year and the tennis season is jammed packed. One time slot which could be available however is the two week period after the United States Open in Flushing Meadows, New York and before the Laver Cup in Boston. However many players would probably skip Indian Wells because of the complete exhaustion which occurs from playing a major.

In northern California, there was a death related to the Coronavirus in the county of Santa Clara. As a result, the county has banned all public gatherings of more than 1000 people. This decision has impacted the San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League. The Sharks will now have to decide what to do with three upcoming home games against the Montreal Canadiens, Boston Bruins and Arizona Coyotes.