Myself and the tennis community are extremely disappointed with the government's decision to not reopen outdoor tennis courts in Wales to facilitate any form of tennis. Singles with the family, training for elite juniors etc.

Tennis is one of very few sports where social distancing can be embraced and take place easily not forgetting, it is an exceptional form of exercise. Making it a pivotal outlet for people to exercise safely throughout coronavirus while, supporting the mental health and physical wellbeing of many young people and adults during these tough & unprecedented times. Both Scotland and England have reopened outdoor tennis courts as well as all Western European countries due to the reasons above. The result, so far indicates that the reopening of outdoor tennis courts in these countries has been successful as long as the necessary precautions are taken as Tennis Wales have already prepared. In Wales, we are lucky enough to have 1250 tennis courts, with 95% of these being outdoor, making tennis an accessible and safe form of exercise open to people the length and breadth of Wales and the opening of outdoor courts only, means that the chances of the spread of the virus is extremely low.

This 3-week delay will put further financial strain on coaches and put Welsh performance players at a significant disadvantage to both their UK and European counterparts. Coaches in England, following set rules have been able to coach safely again allowing them to restart their revenue inflow and transitionally helping them return to normality. This additional 3-week delay, will hit performance players one of the hardest. This further delay will put them so far behind players across the UK and Europe in terms of getting back to match fitness and in the future when qualifying for tournaments.

Tennis Wales has been working in collaboration with the Welsh government, the LTA, and experts to create a comprehensive guide for all tennis players, coaches and venues across Wales to adhere too. Putting, the safety of players and coaches at the heart of the rules and regulations. This set of rules in practice using the expertise and experience of the LTA, who have restarted already, would keep welsh players very safe and prevent the further spread of the virus

We are calling on you, First Minister and the Welsh Government to reconsider your decision on tennis today or at least reconsider in a weeks’ time. Tennis Wales already produced a thorough and detailed set plan which will ensure the safety of players and coaches at all Welsh outdoor venues. If this 3-week delay goes ahead as planned, I believe this additional delay will have dire implications on tennis players and coaches across Wales which will result in long lasting consequences felt by all .

I would appreciate if the Tennis Community would share this far and wide so we can at least get some answers.