ATP cancels China swing, including Shanghai Masters, and adds six 250 events to 2022 calendar

FLASHBACK: Ruud triumphs at 2021 San Diego Open

There will be no tour-level tennis tournaments in China for a third year running.

After the WTA previously suspended operations at the end of 2021 in support of Peng Shuai, the ATP announced Thursday its 2022 China swing has been canceled due to ongoing COVID-19 restrictions.

With the 1000-level event in Shanghai, 500-level event in Beijing and 250-level events in Chengdu and Zhuhai now off the books, the men’s tour has granted single-year ATP 250 licenses to six cities across September and October.

For the second year in a row, San Diego will welcome ATP competitors to the Barnes Tennis Center, where Casper Ruud lifted his first hard-court trophy last September. The outdoor venue was previously awarded a WTA 500, set for Oct. 10-16.

San Diego is slotted in Week 38 (Sept. 19-15) of the ATP calendar and is followed by these five hard-court additions: Week 39 (Sept. 26-Oct. 2) in Seoul and Tel Aviv (indoor); Week 41 (Oct. 10-16) in Florence and Gijon, both indoor; and Week 42 (Oct. 17-23) in Naples.

“Event cancellations are an unfortunate reality, and we wish our affected tournament members and fans well. At the same time, it’s incredibly encouraging to have many great cities step up to host ATP Tour tennis this season,” ATP Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi said in a statement.

“This shows the strong international interest in our product and validates the agile approach we’ve taken in responding to fast-changing circumstances.”

September's Astana Open in Nur-Sultan has also been upgraded from a 250 to a 500 for this season.