Tennis boss hopes Hong Kong Open returns to city in 2023, but says issues over Covid-19 and Peng Shuai must be resolved
- WTA says no tennis tournaments will be held in China this year as it releases updated schedule
- Hong Kong Tennis Association president Philip Mok says city is negotiating for return of event
Tennis bosses said they were hoping to bring the Hong Kong Open back to the city next year, after the game’s governing body said there would no tournaments in China in 2022.
Philip Mok, president of the Hong Kong Tennis Association, said the disagreement between the WTA and China over the Peng Shuai case was a sticking point, while the city’s current Covid-19 travel restrictions meant it was “not possible for overseas players to come”.
He revealed that the HKTA was negotiating with the world governing body of the women’s game to have the Open included in next year’s schedule, but said “as long we are unclear on Covid-19 and Peng Shuai, there is no way to host it again”.
While Mok said he remained optimistic for the future, he bemoaned the loss of the tournament over the past several years and the impact it had on the game locally.
“Despite the situation, we [HKTA] are not afraid of losing the time slot to host the WTA event next year or in the future, because we have bought the franchise to it.
“But there has been a big impact on Hong Kong tennis because we lost a big crowd of tennis fans, and also this tournament offers some wild cards for local players which can help promote tennis in the city.”
