Kim Clijsters will be among the headlines acts when World TeamTennis (WTT) begins its three-week regular season on Sunday as the professional game moves forward in the United States during the coronavirus outbreak.
Back-to-back champions Springfield Lasers face the Orlando Storm in the opening match-up of the nine-team league at the Greenbrier in West Virginia.
All matches will take place at the resort in White Sulphur Springs throughout the league, where mandatory testing and temperature checks, along with other safety precautions, are in place.
Four-time Grand Slam winner and comeback queen Clijsters of Belgium joins the New York Empire, who are out for redemption after losing in the finals against the Lasers last season, while 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens leads the expansion team Chicago Smash.
Arina Rodionova is the only Australian involved, as a member of Washington Kastles.
As many as 500 fans at a time will be allowed at the Greenbrier’s 2,500-capacity stadium, making it among the rare few sporting events in North America to welcome attendees in the COVID-19 era.
Frances Tiafoe, the 22-year-old American who reached the quarter-finals at the 2019 Australian Open, was forced to drop out of the WTT events earlier this month after testing positive for COVID-19.
The event takes place weeks after the Adria Tour was cancelled at the conclusion of its second leg in Croatia due to numerous positive coronavirus tests among participants, including world No.1 Novak Djokovic.