ACT Claycourt International cancelled amid coronavirus concerns

The ACT Claycourt International has been called off after the International Tennis Federation suspended all tournaments until April 20 on Friday (local time), citing concerns over the coronavirus outbreak.

The tournament was scheduled start on Monday at the Canberra Tennis Centre in Lyneham, but advice from medical, travel and security experts saw the governing body make a decision in line with the ATP and WTA tours.

It means capital won't see any professional tennis action this year, following the relocation of the Canberra International to Bendigo in January.

It's unknown whether the claycourt event will be rescheduled but Tennis ACT will continue to work closely with the relative bodies as the situation unfolds.

Tennis ACT chief executive Kim Kachel is disappointed the tournament has been cancelled but says safety of players and those involved must be prioritised during the global pandemic.

"It's extremely disappointing the ACT region won't get to see international tennis in Canberra with these unprecedented events," Kachel said.

"First and foremost, the priority is the safety of players, staff, volunteers and stakeholders involved. The decision had to be made and the governing body made that decision with the ATP and WTA tours.

"We had a really strong line up for the event. We had fourteen countries represented, headlined by a whole host of Australians.

"We were expecting a strong field and it was going to showcase elite tennis at the fantastic clay courts at the Canberra Tennis Centre. We will bounce back and have future events once things are settled."

The ITF announcement came moments after Miami-Dade County said it would suspend the Miami Open and on the heels of Sunday's last-minute cancellation of the Indian Wells tournament in Southern California.

The decision was not taken lightly, ATP Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi said in a statement, adding that the suspension represents a great loss for players and fans.

"We believe this is the responsible action needed at this time in order to protect the health and safety of our players, staff, the wider tennis community and general public health in the face of this global pandemic," he said.

Impacted events include the Clay Court Championships in Houston, the Grand Prix Hassan II in Marrakech, the Monte-Carlo Masters, the Barcelona Open and the Hungarian Open.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has described the coronavirus crisis as a pandemic, meaning it is spreading fast across the globe, as countries scramble to contain the outbreak.