D.C.’s historic Citi Open tennis tournament will be played this year in mid-August. But plans do not currently include fans in attendance or a women’s competition.

One of the longest-running professional tennis tournaments in the U.S., the Citi Open will take place for the 52nd straight year at Rock Creek Park from August 13 through 21. It will be the first sanctioned event for ATP (the governing body for men’s professional tennis in the U.S.) since February.

Local venture capitalist and owner of the Washington City Paper Mark Ein acquired the long-running tennis tournament last April. In a call with reporters Wednesday, Ein said there has been ample coordination between him, ATP and D.C. officials about making sure the tournament can be played in a safe manner. They are still finalizing all of the necessary permits and approvals for the event, he says.

Ein said talks continue with the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), but he wasn’t able to give specifics about whether negotiations will be concluded in time to include WTA players in the tournament. Later, a Citi Open spokesperson told DCist they remain “optimistic” WTA players will be able to compete in the Citi Open.

Last year, more than 78,000 fans attended the nine-day tournament setting an all-time attendance record. For the moment, the plan is to host this year’s tournament without fans. While disappointed, Ein said he understood the need for this.

“I commend the mayor and the administration for their conservatism… so we can get back to normal quicker. I applaud them for that,” he said.

Ein expressed hope that this could change if the region moves into Phase Three reopening later this summer. Phase Two could begin as early as next week. Ein says he’s spoken to District officials about potentially allowing for a small number of fans. If that happens, Ein says, the tickets would go to long-running ticket holders, people who have been attending the tournament for years, and those “who have been doing great things in the community.”

As reported by Tennis Now, Ein told a group of ticket holders via video chat in May that if they are able to bring in fans, it would in the “hundreds to a thousand” range.

Other professional sports, like MLB, NBA, and the WNBA, have all come up with plans to play games without fans in attendance. Both the NBA and WNBA are set to start playing in Flordia at the end of July. Major League Baseball currently has not agreed on a start date as players and owners continue to squabble over money.

For those who won’t be able to attend the Citi Open in person, the Tennis Channel will broadcast the entire tournament, as it has in years past.

Last year, Australia’s Nick Kyrgios won the tournament which featured eight current or former Top-10 players in the ATP field. The hope is that even more top-level players will play this year due to the condensed schedule and the fact this is the first ATP event in months, Ein says.

The local tournament began as the Washington Star International in 1969, thanks in large part to tennis legend Arthur Ashe. Months before the Richmond-native became the first Black men’s tennis player to win a major title, he was driving around D.C. with Davis Cup teammate and friend Donald Dell and proposed creating a tennis tournament in the nation’s capital.

He reportedly told Dell that he’d play in it every year as long as it took place in an integrated neighborhood and “black faces come out and watch the tennis.” That’s exactly what happened, with the tournament being held in Rock Creek Park, a national park. Ashe played in it 11 times. He won it in 1973.