After speaking to UbiTennis last week via e-mail, this time Palermo director Oliviero Palma was able to chat in person with Ubaldo Scanagatta, our website’s CEO, and summarised the first week of tennis after the resuming of play with positive words.
“The protocols worked very well but there is still room for improvement. For instance, tests were supposed to be run through Sunday, but this might force a player to remain in town longer than necessary if the results aren’t ready straight away,” he says, referring to the Prague Open, whose qualifying matches started on Saturday – potentially, those who are entering the Czech draw this week could have been forced to overstay their welcome in Sicily, thus being prevented from playing. “This is why we ran the last round of tests on Friday. It was vital for us, for the WTA, and for whoever will have to work in this frame in the future that the effectiveness of these guidelines be verified.”
Another tweaked rule was the one barring the players from showering at the Country Time Club, forcing them to go back to the tournament’s hotel, the Astoria Palace, in a heavy sweat – the rule was overturned due to the extreme discomfort that the athletes were experiencing when leaving the courts in the insular summer heat.
Some degree of flexibility is allowed by the advisory nature of the WTA guidelines, which still take the form of simple recommendations – local Covid-19 legislation is the actual and sole reference for tournaments. “The WTA can’t confine Donna Vekic to her hotel room, it all comes down to her sensibility. She definitely needs rebuking for posting pictures of her escapade on social media, sending the wrong message – however, she didn’t put anybody’s health in jeopardy. According to current regulations, the outdoor use of face masks is not mandatory, but we have been trying to make people wear them in order to send a positive message.”
Palma also defused the critiques of Richard Gasquet. The Frenchman had been very harsh with the tournament for not devising a bona fide bubble to protect the players, who had to stay in a hotel with regular tourists: “He’s a great player, but definitely not an infectious diseases specialist…”.
In addition, Mr. Palma made a passing comment about the absence of delegates from the Italian tennis federation (former player Tathiana Garbin was present, but only in a personal capacity), and once again lamented Simona Halep’s unfortunate withdrawal, especially in the wake of the presence of nine other Romanian players. “The event has been especially successful from a sanitary standpoint – to be honest, I haven’t followed match play very closely. In total, we ran about 500 tests.” However, he wants to wait for the Tuesday and Wednesday test returns before heaping definitive praise on his own tournament. If all the players who were in Sicily last week will test negative, the successful outcome of the Palermo Ladies Open will be undeniable, and the game will get some important reassurances after such a long hiatus.
“We are proud: if we all do our due diligence, a tennis tournament can still happen. The players understood this, and they helped us to show to the 160 countries watching on TV how to do it by sticking to the rules. “
