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| - The Hamburg European Open men's tennis tournament, which starts September 19, was given special permission by city authorities on Tuesday to allow 2,300 spectators to attend daily. The ATP 500 clay-court tournament was postponed in July due to the coronavirus pandemic and the final is now on September 27 - the same day the main draw for the French Open starts at Roland Garros. "I am pleased that in this case we can go beyond the limit of 1,000 spectators," said Hamburg's Sports Senator Andy Grote in reference to the city's limit for events. "The decision by the (city's) Senate is an important step towards normality in sport in a responsible way." Five of the world's top-10 players are due in Hamburg, including Russia's Daniil Medvedev, who is into the US Open's quarter-finals, Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece, Italy's Matteo Berrettini and Gael Monfils of France. Due to hygiene measures, the 2,300 spectators will only be allowed to watch matches on the 10,000-seater centre court at Hamburg's Rothenbaum stadium. All matches on side courts will be played behind closed doors. "The health of our visitors, players, and employees is our top priority," said tournament director Sandra Reichel. ryj/lp
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