The Italian Open in Rome is one of the tournaments that will not take place

The suspension of the professional tennis tours because of coronavirus has been extended to 7 June, ruling out the entire clay-court season.

The ATP and WTA Tours were already off until 27 April and 2 May respectively.

The extension covers joint tournaments in Madrid and Rome, plus women's events in Strasbourg and Rabat and men's events in Munich, Estoril, Geneva and Lyon.

All men's and women's rankings have been frozen until further notice.

On Tuesday, the French Open, due to begin on 24 May, announced it would move and instead start in September, one week after the end of the US Open.

Announcing the latest suspension, a statement from the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and Women's Tennis Association (WTA) said "now is not a time to act unilaterally, but in unison".

"The challenges presented by the Covid-19 pandemic to professional tennis demand greater collaboration than ever from everyone in the tennis community in order for the sport to move forward collectively in the best interest of players, tournaments and fans," the statement added.

"We are assessing all options related to preserving and maximising the tennis calendar based on various return dates for the Tours, which remains an unknown at this time. We are committed to working through these matters with our player and tournament members, and the other governing bodies, in the weeks and months ahead.

"All decisions related to the impact of the coronavirus require appropriate consultation and review with the stakeholders in the game, a view that is shared by ATP, WTA, International Tennis Federation, All England Lawn Tennis Club, Tennis Australia, and United States Tennis Association."

Tournaments beginning on 8 June onwards are planning to go ahead as scheduled. Nottingham is due to host a WTA event that week, with tournaments at Queen's on 15 June and Eastbourne on 20 June.

Wimbledon is scheduled to take place from 29 June until 12 July.

Source: BBC News

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