Snooker will return next month with a spcial edition of the Championship League tournament. From June 1st to 11th 64 players will play in round-robin groups behind closed doors at Marshall Arena, Milton Keynes, England with strict rules on social distancing, Covid-19 testing and hygiene in place.

All players, officials and staff will stay at the venue for the duration of the event.

Championship League will be split into three phases, with all matches during all stages played as the best-of-four frames. .

The winner will earn a place in November’s Champion of Champions but the Championship League will not be a ranking event.

Everyone will be virus-tested prior to entering the venue and will be in isolation until their results are known. Players will require a negative test result in order to enter the venue. They will play all group matches on one day, remaining on site throughout, and will then leave the venue.

Other safety measures in place will include:

• Players seated at least two metres apart during matches.

• Players using anti-bacterial hand sanitiser before matches and avoiding handshakes.

• Referees endeavouring to keep two metres away from players where possible.

• There will be no access for players’ guests.

• First aid personnel on site at all times

Professional tennis on the ATP and WTA tours has been suspended until August at the earliest because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The sport had previously enforced a lockdown until July but this has now been extended by a month forcing events in Hamburg, Bastad, Bucharest, Lausanne and Jurmala to be called off, with tournaments in Palermo and Karlsruhe set to follow.

The US Open remains pencilled in for the end of August.

No professional tournaments have been played since the start of March, with Wimbledon cancelled for the first time since World War II.

French Open organisers intend to play their Grand Slam event in late September and early October.

A further decision is set to be made next month.