Simon ‘excited’ about WTA return in Sicily

WTA boss Steve Simon says he cannot wait the Tour to return in Sicily next month and said he hoped the Palermo Open would provide a blueprint for tournament operations.

The women’s tournament, which starts on August 3, will be the first major event since both the WTA or ATP tours were suspended in March.

“I’d say there’s definitely an excitement to get back to doing what we love,” Simon told Reuters.

“Obviously there’s been a lot of hard work that’s been done by the tournament promoters as well as the team to get us to this stage. So we’re going into this with great hopes.

“And hopefully we’ve found a solution that will allow tennis to operate in this environment.”

Simon added the WTA was looking to stage as many events as possible in 2020.

“I think our first three events — Palermo, Prague and Lexington — will certainly create that pathway for us,” he said.

“Those three tournaments are going to happen unless we should receive a last-minute issue from the government or local medical officials.”