This summer's edition of Auckland's iconic ASB Classic tennis tournament has been cancelled.
COVID-19 quarantine restrictions have made the annual fixture untenable, forcing both the men's and women's events into a one-year hiatus.
The men's tournament won't be played for the first time since its 1956 inception, while the women's event has been a fixture since 1985.
Three months ago, tournament director Karl Budge applied for a Government exemption to allow a shorter quarantine period for players, asking for the period to be reduced from the mandatory 14 days to just three days, similar to that now approved for the Australian rugby team.
But the lack of any concrete response means organisers no longer have the confidence to proceed and will therefore miss the cut to register the tournament for 2021.
The ASB Classic's position in a packed tennis calendar at that time of year - with, most notably, the Australian Open looming - means players cannot feasibly sit idle for two weeks in quarantine.
Budge says that, as disheartening as the decision was to make, he's adamant the event will return late next year.
"We are obviously incredibly sad to share this news but safety has to be our priority," says Budge.
"We know we deliver the best annual event in New Zealand. Today’s announcement won’t change that.
"We look forward to the return of the Classic in Auckland next year. The planning starts now."
In August, Budge had been confident of taking advantage of New Zealand's relatively pandemic-free conditions and the greater availability of star-calibre players to deliver a "showstopper" of an event this year.
But those hopes hinged on some semblance of a trans-Tasman bubble with the state of Victoria, where players moving on to the 'Grand Slam' Australian Open in Melbourne wouldn't be required to quarantine for a second time.
From October 16, quarantine-free travel will be allowed from New Zealand to Australia, but only to the states of New South Wales and the Northern Territory.
Billed as New Zealand's "highest-profile international sporting event", the ASB Classic has drawn some of tennis' biggest names to the country in recent years, including Serena and Venus Williams, Caroline Wozniacki and Roberto Bautista Agut.
