MUMBAI—Tennis has limped back to some semblance of normality after last year’s lengthy disruption due to the COVID-19 pandemic but stakeholders fear playing tournaments in front of empty stands might not be sustainable for long.
The professional circuit was shut down for five months in 2020 before tournament organizers set up biosecure bubbles for players and support staff while keeping fans away from stadiums.
The disruption has been less severe in 2021 but tournaments, barring the swing in Australia in February, continue to be played in front of a handful of fans at best.
The absence of spectators has not just robbed tournaments of atmosphere and sapped the energy of pla…
Keep on reading: ‘We cannot survive’: Tennis counts the cost of empty stands