The St Petersburg Open has been held annually since 1995 ©Getty Images

The Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) has announced the relocation of an ATP 250 Tour event from Saint Petersburg to Nur-Sultan as it released the calendar for the second half of the season.

The move comes amid heightened tensions between Russia and Ukraine.

However, ATP has not cited any specific reason for the relocation. 

The Russian military today launched an attack on Ukraine, with reports of air strikes or shelling in multiple cities. 

The St Petersburg Open has been held annually since 1995 and is set to be held from September 19 to 25 in the Kazakh capital.

Marin Čilić is the defending St Petersburg Open champion ©Getty Images
Marin Čilić is the defending St Petersburg Open champion ©Getty Images

The first-ever ATP event was hosted in Nur-Sultan in 2020, as part of the single-year license to expand the market for professional tennis, before hosting a second one in 2021.

Marat Safin and Daniil Medvedev of Russia and Britain’s Andy Murray are some of the former winners of St Petersburg Open.  

Overall, there will be 66 ATP events across 30 countries.

The season-ending ATP Finals will be played in Turin, scheduled to be held from November 13 to 20.