ATP chairman Andrea Gaudenzi after the men's professional tennis tour was suspended for six weeks: "This is not a decision that was taken lightly and it represents a great loss for our tournaments, players, and fans worldwide. "However, we believe this is the responsible action needed at this time in order to protect the health and safety of our players, staff, the wider tennis community and general public health in the face of this global pandemic. "The worldwide nature of our sport and the international travel required presents significant risks and challenges in today's circumstances, as do the increasingly restrictive directives issued by local authorities."

Source: BBC March 12, 2020 06:20 UTC