The men's and women's tennis tournaments at Indian Wells,set to begin this week,have been postponed after a case of coronavirus was confirmed in the Coachella Valley.
Australian world No.1 Ashleigh Barty,Serena Williams,Kim Clijsters,Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal were among the high-profile players due to compete in southern California,with the event typically drawing in excess of 450,000 fans over its 10 days.
Indian Wells is an ATP Masters 1000 event on the men's tour and the first Premier Mandatory event of the WTA season.
It is informally referred to as the fifth grand slam because of its popularity with players and fans,many of whom come from overseas.
The Riverside County Public Health Department declared a public health emergency Sunday for the desert cities east of Los Angeles,including Indian Wells where the ATP and WTA tours were to play the two-week tournament.
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"We are very disappointed that the tournament will not take place,but the health and safety of the local community,fans,players,volunteers,sponsors,employees,vendors,and everyone involved with the event is of paramount importance,"tournament director Tommy Haas said.
"We are prepared to hold the tournament on another date and will explore options."
No further details were immediately provided on the confirmed case of the illness.