With the arrival of warm-weather seasons in North America and Europe, tennis season is inching toward its anticipated full return, with outdoor events scheduled somewhere in those regions for most of the weeks remaining in the calendar year 2020.
While the ATP Tour season technically kicks off every year in January, the early months are populated mostly with ATP Tour 250-tier events aside from the Australian Open, won this year by Novak Djokovic.
Unfortunately, though, like most sports, the ATP Tour season met an early obstacle in the coronavirus pandemic. More on that and the rest of the 2020 ATP schedule:
Indian Wells Masters
Dates: March 9-16
Venue: Indian Wells Tennis Garden
Location: Indian Wells, California
TV: ESPN
The Indian Wells Masters is the first ATP Tour Masters 1000 event of the calendar year. Unfortunately, this year's installment was postponed on the day it was scheduled to begin due to a confirmed case of coronavirus in California's Coachella Valley, home to Indian Wells. Event organizers did not immediately provide a makeup date but said they were exploring their options.
Miami Open
Dates: March 23-30
Venue: Hard Rock Stadium
Location: Miami Gardens, Florida
TV: ESPN
Shortly after the postponement of Indian Wells, the ATP Tour said the Miami Open was "moving forward as scheduled" despite a surge in coronavirus cases nationally. Some stars, such as Rafael Nadal, were weighing whether to skip the tournament. Reigning champ Roger Federer was ruled out well advance while recovering from a knee injury.
US Men's Clay Court Championship
Dates: April 6-18
Venue: Rivers Oaks Country Club
Location: Houston, Texas
TV: Tennis Channel
Clay-court season unofficially begins with this appropriately titled 250-tier event. The Grand Prix Hassan II, hosted in Marrakesh, Morocco, is held concurrently.
Monte-Carlo Masters
Dates: April 12-19
Venue: Monte Carlo Country Club
Location: Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France
TV: Tennis Channel
Local favorite Fabio Fognini may not get a chance to defend his title owing to the host city's proximity to Italy, which was hit hard by the coronavirus.
Madrid Open
Dates: May 3-10
Venue: Caja Magica
Location: Madrid, Spain
TV: Tennis Channel
Italian Open
Dates: May 11-17
Venue: Foro Italico
Location: Rome, Italy
TV: Tennis Channel
The Italian Open marks the final Masters 1000-level tuneup before the French Open.
French Open
Dates: May 25-June 7
Venue: Roland Garros Stadium
Location: Paris, France
TV: NBC
Reigning champion Nadal will look to add to his record 12 French Open titles.
Wimbledon
Dates: June 29-July 12
Venue: All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club
Location: London, UK
TV: ESPN
There are no Masters 1000-tier events in June, but there are two 250-tier grass tournaments each week, meant to serve as tuneups for Wimbledon.
2020 Summer Olympics
Dates: July 25-August 2
Location: Tokyo, Japan
TV: Tennis Channel
Two-time defending men's gold medal winner Andy Murray, the first to achieve that feat, is questionable for both Wimbledon and the Olympics due to lingering issues from hip surgery. Novak Djokovic can complete a career golden slam if he wins the gold medal.
Those who don't partake in the Olympics can play in the Atlanta Open or Austrian Open Kitzbuhel, both 250-level events.
Canadian Open
Dates: August 10-16
Venue: IGA Stadium, Aviva Center
Location: Toronto, Canada
TV: ESPN
Cincinnati Masters
Dates: August 17-23
Venue: Lindner Family Tennis Center
Location: Cincinnati, Ohio
TV: ESPN
A busy run of tuneups before the US Open culminates in Cincinnati, arguably the biggest non-major event on the tennis calendar. Daniil Medvedev, who emerged as a breakout star in 2019, won the tournament last year. He went on to the finals of the US Open, before falling to Nadal.
US Open
Dates: August 31-September 13
Venue: USTA Billie Jean King Tennis Center
Location: New York, NY
TV: ESPN
The final grand slam on the tennis calendar, the US Open marks the unofficial end of the season for many casual fans. Reigning champ Nadal will be looking for his fifth title.
Shanghai Masters
Dates: October 11-18
Venue: Vizhong Forest Sports City Arena
Location: Shanghai, China
TV: Tennis Channel
After a relatively lighter September schedule, Masters 1000-level events return in October. Medvedev won it last year, continuing his strong season.
Paris Masters
Dates: October 31-November 8
Venue: AccorHotels Arena
Location: Paris, France
TV: Tennis Channel
ATP Finals
Dates: November 15-22
Venue: 02 Arena
Location: London, UK
TV: ESPN
The ATP season officially ends with this indoor event, held in London. Last year, 21-year-old Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece took the crown, finishing off a breakout year in which he reached the semifinals of the Australian Open.
Davis Cup Finals
Dates: November 23-29
Venue: La Caja Magica
Location: Madrid, Spain
TV: Tennis Channel
The season-ending Davis Cup brings some of the shameless nationalism and trash-talking of the Ryder Cup to tennis. Spain, led by MVP Nadal, won this non-ATP event in 2019.