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Marseille Open 13 ‘likely’ to be moved to March in complicated ATP calendar reshuffle


The 2021 ATP calendar is starting to take shape, with the Open 13 in Marseille saying they will likely postpone until March.

The fight against Covid is still causing chaos around the globe, with Indian Wells reportedly on the verge of announcing the tournament will be cancelled for the second successive year.

The Australian Open will almost certainly be delayed too, which is having a knock-on effect on the rest of the ATP calendar.

Marseille is one of those tournaments upon which the Australian Open will encroach, and they in turn are looking to take advantage of Indian Wells cancelling in what is becoming a complex puzzle.

“The Open 13 Provence is likely to take place in March from 8th to 14th March 2021,” Marseille tournament director Jean Francois Caujolle said.

“Everything will depend on whether or not Indian Wells is maintained. The situation in California is worrying and the organisers do not know if the health situation will allow the Masters 1000 to be played.

“The 2021 edition will not take place under normal conditions, but we are fighting for the maintenance and hope to be able to offer entertainment and tennis, whether or not it is restricted”

“The Open 13 will be held no matter what. When and how remains to be seen. It’s a bit annoying, but that’s how it is.

“We will be ready, anyway, because we have studied all of our options.

“The February 15 window I assess at 10 percent, because the Australian Open should be played. The most likely option at the moment is that our tournament will be held from 8 March.

“The calendar is taking shape, and without Indian Wells that would make things easier.

The coronavirus crisis has made life very tough for tournaments, with smaller tournaments especially likely to take the financial hit.

Caujolle, though, is a firm believer that tennis must continue for the good of the sport even if there is no money to be made.

“I do not see the tournaments as primarily a business, but as being there to ensure the development of the game,” he said.

“That’s what matters. It has to be played. We have to continue. It’s important for the whole circuit and obviously for the players.

“Even behind closed doors I will hold the tournament, because we have to play our role even if we lose money.”


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Michael Graham, Tennishead.net Editor, has been a professional sports journalist for his whole career and is especially passionate about tennis. He's been the Editor of Tennishead.net for over 5 years and loves watching live tennis by visiting as many tournaments as possible. Michael specialises in writing in-depth features about the ATP & WTA tours.