Tournament is normally held in March but was postponed due to Covid concerns; ATP chairman: "Everyone in our sport has missed the BNP Paribas Open over the past two years and its return this October is great for tennis"
Thursday 20 May 2021 19:58, UK
The 2021 BNP Paribas Open tournament in Indian Wells, California that was scheduled for March will now take place in October.
The dual ATP-WTA hardcourt event was planned for March 8-21 but was postponed due to COVID-19 concerns - the second consecutive year the tournament was impacted.
Sometimes known as the 'fifth major', the 2020 tournament was the first major professional sporting event in the United States to be cancelled due to the pandemic.
ATP chairman Andrea Gaudenzi said: "Since the resumption of the Tour in August 2020, we have had to take an agile approach to the calendar with the aim of staging as many of our events as possible.
"Everyone in our sport has missed the BNP Paribas Open over the past two years and its return this October is great for tennis.
"The calendar is extremely complex and I would like to thank all events in that section of the season, as we look to accommodate these changes for the benefit of the overall sport."
The tournament could affect the Asian swing - with events scheduled in Beijing, Tokyo and Shanghai in October.
Dominic Thiem and Bianca Andreescu are the defending champions at Indian Wells.
Don't forget to follow us on skysports.com/tennis, our Twitter account @skysportstennis & Sky Sports - on the go! Available to download now on - iPhone & iPad and Android
