"It's a nightmare": Tim Mayotte on impact of cancelled Boston events

Former No. 7 Tim Mayotte has described the cancellation of events and recreational play as a huge blow for the Boston area, which was scheduled to hold the Laver Cup.

The event has been postponed by the coronavirus pandemic, which has placed the pro tours on hold until at least July. The star-filled field, led by Roger Federer, was scheduled to be played following the US Open. Another two USTA women's tournaments, which Mayotte was involved in holding, have also been suspended.

The Massachusetts native, who now coaches, said it would have been a big boost to tennis in the region.

“We’re so depressed here because coming to Boston, we had the Laver Cup. And we had all these tickets we were going to distribute for our academy,” Mayotte told Tennis.com. “That was going to be a major event. That's really been my goal here, to revive tennis. We had a $60,000 USTA women's event at my club. And this year, we were going to have two back-to-back—the USTA was on board, but obviously that's been cancelled. The Laver Cup would have been an incredible, incredible addition to that."

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The hit goes beyond professional tournaments. Recreational play has also been halted due to restrictions on public activity, including Mayotte's academy.

"All my pros aren't working, I'm not working. It is a nightmare.”

The former Olympic silver medalist also has doubts about the French Open and the US Open moving forward. Wimbledon previously decided not to stage its event for the first time since 1945.

“Anytime you are putting people together, you better have protection,” Mayotte said. “You have to get all the organizations together and agree on what qualifies as a 'safe event.' You're going to have to put a shield around the players and the tournaments, and until that's done, it's hard to imagine any being really successful."

The changes which could be required will also have effects which fans might not like, he noted.

"This could have an impact on going to all electronic calling," he said. "But that's also hurtful to the whole network of what makes tennis great, the linespeople, the ball kids.”