ATP adds four events to 2020 calendar

Four new tournaments have been added to the provisional ATP calendar for the remainder of the 2020 season, the men's Tour announced on Thursday.

The German city of Cologne will host back-to-back ATP 250 events on indoor hard while Sardinia will stage a claycourt event and Nur-Sultan in Kazakhstan will host an indoor event.

The events will be on single-year licence as the ATP offers professionals the opportunity to earn money and ranking points in the wake of the coronavirus shutdown.

All the events will be subject to satisfying strict health and safety, international travel and ATP event requirements.

"Adding new events to the Tour calendar is a positive step given the many challenges our sport has faced this year, and I would like to thank all the event organisers on the calendar," ATP Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi said.

"Our goal was to create additional opportunities for players and entertainment for our fans, and to do so in a safe and practical way. We are delighted to have tennis back on court again and these new events will help us finish the year strongly, as we build towards the season-ending ATP Finals."

The Cologne events begin on Oct. 12, the same day as the claycourt tournament in Sardinia. The Astana Open in Nur-Sultan starts on Oct. 26.