The WTA released a provisional 2021 women’s tennis schedule through the end of Wimbledon in July, largely sticking to a traditional calendar.
The line-up released on Tuesday adds 20 weeks to the tour’s initial announcement covering the year’s first seven weeks, including the Abu Dhabi WTA Women’s Tennis Open that begins main-draw play this week.
In addition to the three grand slams – Australian Open (starting February 8), French Open (May 23) and Wimbledon (June 28) – the first half of the year will have four WTA 1000 events; in Dubai and Miami (both in March), Madrid (April) and Rome (May).
The rebranded Fed Cup, now known as the Billie Jean King Cup, is scheduled to start on April 12.
After the Australian Open, there will be a WTA 500 event in Australia, followed by 500 or 1000-level events starting in Doha on March 1; Dubai on March 8; St. Petersburg, Russia, on March 15; Miami on March 22; Charleston, South Carolina, on April 5; Stuttgart, Germany, on April 19; Madrid on April 26; Rome on May 10; Berlin on June 14; and Eastbourne, England, on June 21.
The French Open returns to its regular spot in spring while Wimbledon – which was cancelled last year for the first time since 1945 because of the coronavirus pandemic – returns in 2021.
The biggest event missing from the schedule is the joint WTA-ATP hard-court tournament in Indian Wells, California, which already had said it will be relinquishing its usual March dates because of the pandemic.
The COVID-19 outbreak caused that event to be cancelled in 2020.
The WTA said it has yet to decide on the dates for its season-ending WTA Finals in Shenzhen, China, after last year’s edition was cancelled due to the pandemic.