Kitzbühel (Austria) (AFP)
Dominic Thiem will host seven tennis players in Kitzbühel (Austria) for an unofficial tournament from July 7 to 11, the organizers announced on Saturday.
The clay court tournament, endowed with a total of 300,000 euros in rewards, will be contested "before a limited audience and, obviously, in strict compliance with the health regulations imposed by the government," promised tournament director Florian Zinnagl.
Besides Thiem, Frenchman Gaël Monfils will be there. The names of the other six guests have yet to be released.
With a group stage, modeled on the Masters, "the format guarantees that each player will play at least three matches," promised Wolfgang Thiem, father of the world No.3 who takes part in the organization.
"The objective is to offer players matches in the conditions of competition, which are more difficult to find in training," he said.
Official ATP and WTA tournaments have been suspended since March due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The men's circuit will not resume until August.
Players have bypassed this decision by announcing their participation in unofficial tournaments: Thiem will thus be in Berlin from July 13 alongside Alexander Zverev and Nick Kyrgios, while the world No.1 Novak Djokovic will organize his tournament in Belgrade mid-June.
© 2020 AFP