Djokovic and Williams pursue tennis history in US Open COVID bubble

The US Open becomes the first Grand Slam of the COVID-19 era as it begins Monday in a bubble with no spectators in Flushing Meadows following a troubled build that saw several top stars withdraw out of fear of the coronavirus.

Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams headline a tournament that will be unrecognizable from previous Slams due to strict security protocols that were still not enough to convince some of the biggest names in tennis to travel to New York.

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Defending champion Rafael Nadal and number one female Ashleigh Barty are among the high-profile absentees at the U.S. National Tennis Center, which just a few months ago was transformed into an emergency coronavirus field hospital. .

Raucous crowds are a hallmark of the US Open, but this cavernous Arthur Ashe Stadium will be eerily empty to mitigate the risk of infection from the deadly pandemic that has wiped out much of the tennis season, including Wimbledon.

Players are kept in a strictly controlled environment with regular COVID-19 testing throughout the tournament. Any competitor who tests positive once the event has started will be automatically withdrawn.

Most of the competitors stay in one of the two hotels where they will be transferred the 30 minutes to and from the tennis center.

Some, including Djokovic and Williams, have chosen to stay in private homes where they must pay for 24-hour security approved by the United States Tennis Association (USTA).

READ: Serena Williams sets her sights on the 24th Grand Slam title again

Security teams are required to provide the USTA with information on when the player leaves and arrives home.

No player may travel anywhere other than between the tennis center and their accommodation. Any player who leaves the bubble without the written consent of the organizers will be expelled from the tournament.

‘Insurance’

Temperature checks are mandatory for everyone entering the US Open site, which is dotted with hand sanitizing machines and signs warning everyone to stay six feet away.

Players must wear masks when not playing or eating, while ball players and line officials will wear face covers on the court at Ashe and Louis Armstrong Stadiums.

There will be no line officers on the outside courts, where Hawk-Eye technology will make line calls.

Organizers are limiting dressing rooms to 30 players at a time, and competitors are encouraged to shower and then go out as quickly as possible where activities including basketball hoops have been held.

Britain’s Andy Murray, the 2012 US Open champion, said the atmosphere felt “pretty sad” but praised the precautionary measures.

“I feel safe and I am happy that I decided to come,” he told reporters at an online press conference.

The absence of world number two Nadal due to coronavirus concerns and Swiss legend Roger Federer, who is recovering from knee surgery, gives Djokovic a golden opportunity to close the gap with his fierce race rivals. for the records.

Djokovic has captured five of the last seven men’s Slam crowns and is a huge favorite to capture a fourth US Open title in the final on September 13.

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A victory on hard courts would take the 33-year-old to 18 Grand Slam titles, behind Nadal with 19 and Federer with 20.

The Serbian, who recovered from a neck injury to lift the ATP Western & Southern Open on Saturday, begins his search against Damir Dzumhur, 107th-ranked Bosnia and Herzegovina, on Monday night.

Asterisk?

He could face fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas or world number seven Alexander Zverev in the semifinals before a possible championship match against second seed Austria Dominic Thiem, who pushed Djokovic to five sets before falling in the Open final. from Australia this year.

Djokovic said it will be strange without the “explosive” energy of the 22,000 crammed fans at Arthur Ashe Stadium, but that more downtime was positive.

“The circumstances are very unusual, but we have to deal with them and try to accept them,” he said.

A depleted women’s field gives Williams a great shot at winning her 24th career Grand Slam title to equal Margaret Court’s all-time record.

World number two Simona Halep is missing, as is reigning US Open champion Bianca Andreescu of Canada and top ten players Elina Svitolina, Kiki Bertens and Belinda Bencic.

However, the 38-year-old Williams has a tough draw. She could face 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens in the third round, Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin in the semi-finals and potentially Czech seed Karolina Pliskova in the final.

For Williams, who lost in the finals of the US Open and Wimbledon each of the past two years, a narrow field does not devalue the title.

“It still has to be tennis, asterisks or not. I think this whole year deserves an asterisk because it is a very special year, “he said.