New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo said Tuesday that the United States Tennis Open will be held behind closed doors in August, 2020. Their keeping is part of the deconfinement measures taken by the State following the COVID-19 outbreak.
The American Tennis Association (USTA), has decided to go ahead with its flagship event without fans, provided that the state approved its game plan. Like many professional leagues, the professional tennis circuits have been suspended since March.
The United States Open is scheduled to start on August 31 and end on September 13. They are usually the fourth and last Grand Slam of the season, but they will be the second in 2020, after the Australian Open, concluded in February.
“We are excited by the hosting of the United States Open, which will be held in Queens. They will be shown in camera, but you can watch them on TV, and I like that. Tennis leaders will take extraordinary action, but the tournament will take place.” Cuomo said.
The Internationals of France have been postponed from their usual date, in May, to September. They must start a week after the conclusion of Flushing Meadows. Wimbledon has been canceled for the first time since 1945.
Big names in tennis like the world’s number 1 Novak Djokovic and Ashleigh Barty, as well as defending champion Rafael Nadal have expressed reservations about going to Flushing Meadows, where an indoor tennis center was used to house hundreds of hospital beds at the height of the outbreak.
Roger Federer has already announced his intention not to go there. Whoever won five of his 20 Grand Slam tournaments in New York will miss the rest of the season after having to undergo a second right knee arthroscopy.
With international television contracts, ESPN alone is paying US $ 70 million to broadcast the event, which will help offset ticketing losses and other site-generated revenue.
In addition to dealing with a recession that has costing 100 posts at the USTA, the association’s board of directors decided to go ahead with its largest tournament despite the concerns caused by COVID-19 and international travel.
