Former World No. 1 Andy Murray and three-time Grand Slam champion Angelique Kerber will compete in a virtual Madrid Open, the WTA and ATP announced on Thursday.
The Madrid Open was due to be played on May 1-10 but was cancelled due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Announced alongside Murray and Kerber were five-time ATP Tour titlist Lucas Pouille and Spain’s Suárez Navarro.
“The Mutua Madrid Open Virtual Pro is a new challenge for us the players, and something that I have never been done before,” Kerber said in a statement. “It’s exciting and a good opportunity to compete from home in a new format. I’m looking forward to participate!”
The competition is a complete virtual replica of the live tournament. Players will compete at the Manolo Santana Stadium from their homes with players deciding if they want to donate their prize money to players affected by the coronavirus crisis.
Sixteen players will be divided into four groups with the champion and runner-up of each group moving to the quarterfinals. The remaining rounds will be played as knock-out events. There will also be a series of benefit matches to raise money.
“This is going to be a very exciting challenge,” Pouille said in a statement. “I’ve already started training because I want to win this tournament against my tennis peers as I know they play a lot.”
All tennis has been postponed by the WTA and ATP until July 13.