What will WTA Tennis Look Like Moving into 2021?

If you have been one of the many people around the world praying for a return to normal sporting activity, it might be time to say your blessings. Since the autumn, the sporting world has been in a slow but sure-fire return to the sporting calendar that we have all missed out on so dearly. This will give fans of various sports the chance to watch their sporting icons once again in the flesh, albeit from the comfort of home. And while you might have your eye on the Pinnacle tennis odds to find out what the 2020-21 calendar is going to look like, it helps to understand the structural changes taking place.

Like just about any other sport in the world, the tennis calendar has been decimated by COVID-19. It has left many otherwise popular tournaments off the calendar, while other tournaments do their best to try and fill the growing competitive void that exists within the sporting world today.

The 2021 WTA Tour, though, is going to be quite different to the normal season that we see. In this landmark 51st season of the WTA, we will see the four major Grand Slam events take place. We will also see some of the major WTA Finals taking place, as well as the Summer Olympics. However, the season will likely see postponements, re-arrangements and, if needed, cancellations.
Several tournaments are already likely to be cancelled entirely. The first to fall was the Auckland Open, which is one of the most respected WTA-level tournaments. This was supposed to be held in January 2021 but is now put off entirely with a reschedule unlikely to happen.

Will tennis be impacted by COVID-19 in 2021?

Unfortunately, it looks likely that 2020 will not be the only year to come that will have a hangover caused by COVID. While greater medical control over the virus means that it is more manageable the second time around, complacency will lead to a precipitous fall. That is why there should be a push for more changes to the calendar as the season progresses, making sure that events are played in a safe environment that will minimize the risk of contagion.

While advancements are being made in a bid to get crowds back in eventually, players should get used to the crowdless tennis events that will be taking place for much of 2021. Some feel that it should be given more of a chance, while others are happy to keep going with the tournaments as they are until a sense of normality can return in the near future.

For now, though, it is hard to say that the 2021 calendar, and thus the 2021-22 calendar, will not become impacted negatively due to COVID-19. As unpalatable as it might be for fans, it is likely to be the way of things for the long-term future.

Until a safe and effective treatment and vaccination plan can be used worldwide, it is going to be hard to find international consensus on what can, and cannot, take place. Expect the coming season(s) of tennis to be fraught and filled with short-notice changes, then.
It isn’t perfect, but it is by far and away better than nothing.