After the relaxation of the lockdown, in adherence to the guidelines that will curb the spread of the deadly coronavirus, National-level and state tennis players in India have returned to court at Chanchal Tennis complex Sports on Thursday.

With such development, the arenas in the city are active again, having been under total lockdown for over two months to combat COVID-19.

The resumption of training was part of the decision taken by the All Assam Tennis Association (AATA), allowing the national-level players to begin training at the Chanchal Tennis complex Thursday afternoon.

Out of the 18 players selected by the AATA for the beginning of training, only ten showed up on day one.

In a chat with The Sentinel, the secretary of the AATA Ankush Dutta said the development was in line with the government advisory.

According to him, it is only national-level players that were allowed in the training for now. While statting that the standard operating procedure (SOP) sent by the All India Tennis Association is being followed by the club, he said the players began their training and maintained social distance.

He added that coaches were also advised to monitor to ensure that all the guidelines are strictly followed.

Recall that the deadly virus brought sports activities to a standstill, leading to a lockdown order in March. This left athletes with no choice but to stay at home for nearly two months and practice minimally.

They are now raring to go.

Meanwhile, the first professional tennis event will be taking place in New Zealand.

The country’s tennis association has given the green light on hosting the first professional tournament since the COVID-19 shutdown as it currently has no new cases of coronavirus.

The competition is for the men from the country’s Premier League. The venue in Auckland will next month see 24 players competing in three teams at empty arenas for the next three weeks.

Written by: Oladipupo Mojeed