New York governor Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday gave a green signal to the 2020 edition of US Open to be held starting August 31. Cuomo added that the event will be held without fans.
The United States Tennis Association (USTA) had continued with their preparation to stage then marquee tournament amid coronavirus pandemic wiping more than one quarter of the entire 2020 calendar year, although they were waiting for approval from the state.
“We’re excited about the U.S. Open, (which) is going to be held in Queens, Aug. 31 through Sept. 13. It will be held without fans, but you can watch it on TV — and I’ll take that,” Cuomo said at his daily briefing in Albany. “The tennis authorities are going to be taking extraordinary precautions, but that’s going to take place.”
Like most other sports across the globe, professional tennis tours have been suspended since March, leading to postponement or cancellation of about 40 events this year.
On a normal tennis calendar year, US Open would be the fourth and final Grand Slam, but in 2020, it will only be the second. French Open had postponed the tournament until late September while Wimbledon was cancelled for the first time ever since World War II in 1945.
Even while US Open has managed to get the green signal from the authorities concerned, the organisers will now have to deal with how many players will look to participate in the tournament. Over the last few weeks top-ranked stars like Novak Djokovic, Ashleigh Barty have all expressed their doubts over heading to the Flushing Meadows for the tournament. Meanwhile, five-time champion of New York's annual marquee event, Roger Federer, has already ruled himself out of the remainder of the 2020 season owing to a second arthroscopic surgery on his right knee.
