This archive report was first published on 16 June 2020.
June 16, 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought professional tennis to a standstill, with no tournaments held since March. However, the United States Tennis Association (USTA) has announced plans to host the 2020 U.S. Open in New York, albeit without fans.
According to multiple reports, the USTA has reached agreements with the men's ATP Tour and the WTA, which runs the women's circuit, to hold the tournament from August 31 to September 13. The decision comes despite concerns from top players, including world number one Novak Djokovic and reigning U.S. Open men's champion Rafa Nadal.
"We're following each step in the procedure that we need to with the great hope that we can announce that the 2020 U.S. Open will be played in its regularly scheduled date," USTA spokesman Chris Widmaier said in an email to Reuters.
However, Nadal has expressed concerns about attending the tournament, stating that he would not travel to the U.S. Open in present circumstances. Djokovic has also raised concerns, saying that playing the event this year would be impossible given the "extreme" protocols that would be in place.
The U.S. Open is held annually in New York City, which has been hit hard by the pandemic. The USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center was even turned into a temporary hospital to help in the battle against the virus.
Last year's edition drew an all-time attendance record of nearly 740,000 fans, and the event is the engine that drives the governing USTA.
