The Tel Aviv Open, a small but well-regarded tournament on the men’s professional tennis tour, will not take place this year, organizers have announced.
The announcement, which came five days after the attacks by Hamas on civilians across Israel, was not unexpected but is a blow to the tour nevertheless. The tournament had been scheduled to take place from Nov. 5-11.
The Tel Aviv Open received rave reviews last year from players, who relished playing in front of enthusiastic crowds who packed the stadium in the lively city on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Novak Djokovic, the 24-time Grand Slam champion, won the title last year as part of his preparations for the season-ending ATP Finals competition.
In the wake of the Hamas attacks, Israel has declared a state of war, making the region a place that tennis players and other visitors are likely to avoid for the foreseeable future.
Cancelling the tournament quickly became the only alternative for the organizers and the tour, who have spent the past week scrambling to find a location in another country to host an event that week — with Sofia becoming a likely alternative. The Bulgarian capital has previously hosted small tennis competitions.
Both the men’s and women’s tours became particularly adept at finding…
