Coronavirus: Indian Wells tennis tournament cancellers

The Indian Wells tennis tournament (USA, California), billed to begin on Monday, has joined the list of cancelled sporting events as a result of coronavirus.

"We are very disappointed that the tournament will not take place, but the health and safety of the local community, fans, players, volunteers, sponsors, employees, vendors, and everyone involved with the event is of paramount importance," said Tournament Director Tommy Haas. "We are prepared to hold the tournament on another date and will explore options."

The deadly virus has spread across the globe since it broke out in the Hubei province of Wuhan, China in 2019.

As of today, according to TASS, close to 100 countries have spotted the deadly virus in their territories including Europe and Africa.

In China, which accounts for the majority of cases, more than 3,100 deaths were recorded, 58,600 people recovered, the number of infections remained at around 80,700. According to WHO, in total, 106,900 were infected in the world, and just over 3,600 died.

The tournament’s total prize fund was to be $18.5 mln.

In 2019, the winners of the tournament were Austrian Dominic Tim among men and Bianca Andreescu from Canada among women. Most often, the winner of the men's competition was the Swiss Roger Federer and Serb Novak Djokovic (five times each). Nine tennis players won the tournament twice, among them Russian Maria Sharapova (2006, 2013).

TASS