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The organization of the US Open will decide in June if the Grand Slam tournament in New York can continue. Tennis players will most likely play on empty stands.
“We don’t entirely rule out playing without fans, but to be honest I think it’s highly unlikely,” director Mike Dowse of the US tennis association USTA, the organizer of the US Open, said in a digital press release Thursday. . “The empty stands are not really suited to this tournament.”
Dowse also notes that even at a ‘closed door’ US Open thousands of people – tennis players, coaches, volunteers, television staff, journalists – will continue to walk through the tennis park in Flushing Meadows.
“Only if medical experts find a completely safe solution, can we begin to think about playing without an audience.”
Rafael Nadal won the US Open for the fourth time last year. (Photo: Pro Photos)
‘The advantage of being the fourth Grand Slam’
Roland Garros has already moved from May 24 to June 7 to September 20 to October 4 due to the coronavirus, while Wimbledon, which is scheduled to run from June 29 to July 12, will not take place this year. . In any case, the tennis season will be closed until July 13.
The US Open is currently planned for the original dates (from August 31 to September 13). “We have the advantage of being the fourth Grand Slam and thus having more time,” Dowse said.
“We want to make a decision sometime in June about whether or not to go to the US Open. And the most important factor will be the health of the players, the fans and our staff. Five or six doctors will advise us on that and on Based on that information, we made a decision. “
New York has been severely affected by the COVID-19 virus. More than ten thousand people have died there from the effects of the corona virus.
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