ATP cancels China events for third year in a row due to Covid-19 restrictions

The ATP has announced its China swing series of tournaments will not take place again this year because of ongoing Covid-19 restrictions in the country.

China was due to host the Chengdu Open, Zhuhai Championships, China Open and Rolex Shanghai Masters in September and October.

It is the third successive year ATP Tour events in China have had to be cancelled.

To fill the gaps in the calendar, six new ATP 250 events - the lowest tier of tournaments on the tour - have been added to the 2022 schedule.

They will be staged in San Diego, Seoul, Tel Aviv, Florence, Gijon and Naples.

Andrea Gaudenzi, chairman of the men's governing body, told atptour.com: "As a global sport we continue to manage the impacts of the pandemic.

"Event cancellations are an unfortunate reality, and we wish our affected tournament members and fans well.

"At the same time, it's incredibly encouraging to have many great cities step up to host ATP Tour tennis this season. This shows the strong international interest in our product and validates the agile approach we've taken in responding to fast-changing circumstances."