BNP Paribas Open postponed until later in 2021

The 2021 BNP Paribas Open won’t be held in March at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden as scheduled, but tournament organizers said in a news release Tuesday they hope to stage the event later in the year.

The 2020 edition of the tournament was among the first sports events affected by the growth of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was initially postponed but later was cancelled.

The event typically draws the top players in men’s and women’s tennis to compete in a luxurious setting in the desert, and it’s widely considered the unofficial fifth major event on the tennis calendar.

Indian Wells has been the site of major breakthroughs by young players in recent years, with 2018 women’s champion Naomi Osaka going on to win the U.S. Open a few months later and 2019 women’s champion Bianca Andreescu pulling off the same double.

The 2021 tournament was to have been held March 8-21.

“The tournament is proactively working with the ATP and WTA Tours as well as title sponsor BNP Paribas to confirm dates later in the year to hold the event,” organizers said in a statement, referring to the men’s and women’s professional tours. “Details will be released in the near future as plans are finalized.

“This decision was made after thorough consultation with state and local health authorities and tournament owner Larry Ellison.”