US Open 2020 to be held as per schedule despite virus fears

Despite of the rapid increase in coronavirus infections in the United States, The United States Tennis Association (USTA) plans to go ahead with its original schedule for the US Open 2020.

According to media reports,  US Open 2020 is expected to make the announcement that the tournament will get underway from August 31 to Sept. 13 at the Billy Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens.

The United States Tennis Association issued a statement saying it’s excited New York approved its plan to hold the tournament on time.

“We recognize the tremendous responsibility of hosting one of the first global sporting events in these challenging times, and we will do so in the safest manner possible, mitigating all potential risks. We now can give fans around the world the chance to watch tennis’ top athletes compete for a US Open title, and we can showcase tennis as the ideal social distancing sport,” Mike Dowse, USTA CEO, said in a statement.

USTA spokesman Chris Widmaier said, “We’re ready to move forward as long as we get all the approvals we need,”

At the end of the day, whatever plan we put forward will be guided by our first principles of health and safety for everyone involved,”

Recently, World No. 1 Novak Djokovic and No. 2 Rafael Nadal expressed their reservations with regards to traveling to New York for the Grand Slam event.
While Djokovic said the “extreme” limitations that may be imposed as part of safety guidelines, Nadal says he will only participate if there’s a guarantee for the safety of every player.