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On this podcast we have a very special story to share with you from our Fan Favorite reporter Martina in Australia.  Remember 1000 years ago when we were all enjoying the Australian Open? I completely regret complaining about the crazy hours and time change now. Well Martina was there live at the Australian Open as well as the Rally for Relief and created a report to share her experience. She also had the life changing experience of spending time with the Federer family and shares all the details for us of meeting Mirka and the Federer twins! 

TennisPAL for iPhone and Android is an app for anything tennis. It connects you with other players and coaches to chat, schedule play time, and share moments with. Download the app today at Tennispal.com! 

Just want to say that during the COVID shutdown TennisPAL has continued to sponsor and support this podcast so a huge thank you to Haleh and the whole TennisPAL team for making this podcast happen! 

But first let’s get to some TENNIS NEWS : 

ATP and WTA extend suspension of TOUR : 

Joint statement by ATP & WTA: After careful consideration, and due to the continuing outbreak of COVID-19, all ATP and WTA tournaments in the Spring clay-court swing will not be held as scheduled. This includes the combined ATP/WTA tournaments in Madrid and Rome, along with the WTA events in Strasbourg and Rabat and ATP events in Munich, Estoril, Geneva and Lyon.

The professional tennis season is now suspended through 7 June 2020, including the ATP Challenger Tour and ITF World Tennis Tour. At this time, tournaments taking place from 8 June 2020 onwards are still planning to go ahead as per the published schedule.

Looking back we can really see the the wisdom of Tommy Haas, Larry Ellison and the Indian Wells team.  The headline was “TENNIS PARADISE PARALYZED: PLAYERS ECHO SHOCK, SADNESS AT INDIAN WELLS.  In retrospect it was the best possible thing to do to error on the side of caution and I just wished that our US President and state leaders had done the same and shut the nation down to let the virus die. 

In parallel, the FedEx ATP Rankings and WTA Rankings will be frozen throughout this period and until further notice.

The latest news concerns the suspension of all ATP and WTA tournaments until 7th June. This is a decision that has followed the initial stopping of play until 20th April (ATP) and until 2nd May (WTA). Many important tournaments paid for it, such as Indian Wells, the Miami Open, the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters, the Mutua Madrid Open, the Italian Open and the Roland Garros. First date of return back to tennis was April 20, May 2, now June 7th.  This is an ever changing situation as we all try to be flexible and watch when we can overcome this virus threat.  Health and safety are priority one for players and fans alike.

FRENCH OPEN : Moves date
The event in Paris was due to be played from 24 May to 7 June, but instead will take place from 20 September to 4 October.  That means it will begin just one week after the completion of the US Open.  The new dates for the French Open mean it will clash with a string of ATP and WTA events, including the start of the traditional Asian leg of the season.

Conflict with LAVER CUP
March 17th : The tennis world learned today that the French Tennis Federation intends to schedule Roland Garros from Sept 20 – Oct 4, 2020 due to the impact of COVID-19.

These dates overlap with the dates of Laver Cup 2020, already sold out, and scheduled for September 25 – 27, 2020 at TD Garden in Boston.

This announcement came as a surprise to us and our partners – Tennis Australia, the USTA and the ATP. It raises many questions and we are assessing the situation. At this time, we want our fans, sponsors, broadcasters, staff, volunteers, players and the great city of Boston to know that we intend to hold Laver Cup 2020 as currently scheduled.

March 21st SPORT 24 reports : Swiss Fed Cup captain Heinz Guenthardt has confirmed he expects countryman Roger Federer to reschedule the Laver Cup to avoid a clash of dates with the French Open.  The French Open caused controversy by unilaterally switching dates to September after its traditional May scheduling was compromised by the coronavirus outbreak.  That especially upset Roger Federer, whose Laver Cup event will now have to take place in the middle of a Grand Slam.  However, he has been tipped to change his plans – because he will accept he cannot compete with Roland Garros for players’ attention.

Roger Federer and his wife Mirka have donated 1m Swiss francs to help “the most vulnerable families in Switzerland”.

Tokyo Olympics have definitely been postponed one year.

Safe Wishes from Player : 

DJOKOVIC with pictures of his family via instagram : 

I pray for the health and healing of you. May God heal any sickness you have physical, mental or spiritual. May he give you health, energy and joy today. Swipe for my full message 🙏🏼❤️

FEDERER : Federer posted a video message on Instagram calling on his 7.4 million followers to consider vulnerable people in the community. He only posted it in Swiss German for @swiss public health:

“I’m also staying home, and I haven’t been shaking anybody’s hands for quite some time now,” Federer said.  “I wash my hands very frequently as we’re supposed to. I believe helping each other is more important now than ever, especially because we want to help the older generation.  “They’re the ones at highest risk, and we need to help them by keeping a distance of two metres and not shake hands.  “It’s really important to take these rules seriously. Very, very seriously.  “Eventually, we could all be in quarantine and not be able to leave the house anymore, so I really hope all of us take it very seriously.”

SERENA : via instagram

I’ve been staying at home and practicing social distancing. I want to make sure I’m doing my part during these uncertain times. Your actions matter and to #stayhome is one thing we can do to flatten the curve. Thank you @voguemagazine and Anna for raising awareness to make sure we take care of one another, even if it’s from your couch. And thank you to all who are out there taking care of us outside of your own home.

MARIA SHARAPOVA :  via instgram 

Beach cove social distancing for a few minutes of fresh air and back for home cooked stuffed cabbage (one of my favorites 😋), a few too many dishwater loads 😅, and a touching ‘Very Ralph’ documentary. Please share your favorite movies/documentaries..🌤

Spain’s Carla Suarez Navarro had announced that 2020 would be her last year on the tennis tour. However, with the tennis season being shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic and concerns that the tours may not be able to resume in June if the situation worsens, the Spaniard says she will not consider extending her retirement by one more year.

US OPEN releases press release on new surface : 

The USTA today announced that following an extensive RFP process, Laykold has been selected as the new court surface for the US Open and the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. The new agreement is in place for five years. The 2020 US Open begins on Monday, August 24 with US Open Fan Week and the US Open Qualifying Tournament. The Main Draw of the 2020 US Open runs from August 31, through September 13.

The new Laykold courts will be manufactured by Advanced Polymer Technology (APT), a member of Sport Group, the world’s largest business dedicated to sports surfaces. APT is unique in the industry for its fully integrated global supply chain – from raw materials to installation.  This integrated supply chain will allow for the consistency in court quality control, playing performance and sustainability. Laykold courts are the only courts with vapor barrier designed specifically for the court system, which also greatly increases consistency in both court performance and court speed.

The Laykold courts also come with the strongest environment credentials in the industry. APT is the only ISO 14001 environmental-certified court manufacturer in the world. As such, they are fully compliant with all aspects of sustainability and aligned with the USTA’s sustainability commitments and values.

LA COUNTY chain locks all tennis courts to prevent the gatherings of people 

Next Podcast :  Practical things you can do to practice tennis during the Corona Virus Shutdown. 

Shout out to the Langham Huntington Hotel who provided care packages for all it’s employees with fresh food, pasta, beans, eggs, and toilet paper! 

TennisPAL Chronicles is a tennis podcast to feed your passion for the game! We are tennis fans that interview tennis professionals and discuss tips, news, and reviews for your tennis obsession. Our global Fan Favorite reports are created by passionate fans who share news about their favorite players. Host Phillip Kim is the Tennis Pro at the historic Langham Huntington in Pasadena as well as the Director of Tennis for the City of Azusa and an avid player and coach.  Visit tennispal.com to download the tennis app everyone is talking about and access the show notes!  Send an email to pk@tennispal.com for more information. Stream from iTunes here.   Thanks for recommending and listening!  If you enjoy the show people leave a review and help share the tennis love!