There’s a chance that the likes of Novak Djokovic and Co will not be returning to the courts until at least August following recent meetings between tennis’ governing bodies, according to one source.
Spanish newspaper Marca has claimed that the current suspension of the professional Tour’s until July 13th is almost certain to be extended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Although there is no official word yet. There hasn’t been any tournament played since early March with lower ranked players voicing their concerns over a lack of financial support. Prompting the ATP, WTA and ITF to launch a relief fund reported to be worth in the region of $6 million.
According to Marca, officials are hoping for the sport to return at the Cincinnati Open, which is set to start on August 17th. Events leading up to Cincinnati are in line for the chop from this year’s calendar. The WTA Rogers Cup has already been cancelled. Meanwhile the Washington Open, which is a mixed tournament, is reportedly ‘impossible to play’ given the current circumstances.
It is still up in the air as to what will actually happen due to the pandemic and worldwide travel restrictions. America is the hardest hit country in the world by COVID-19 in terms of both cases and deaths. As of Saturday night there have been 960,144 confirmed infections with 54,109 people losing their lives, according to figures published by The Daily Mail.
One of the worst hit areas in the country is New York City, which has recorded 150,000 cases alone. Due to the current situation, some have voiced doubts over whether it is possible for the US Open to take place as planned in Flushing Meadows. Part of the venue has been transformed into a temporary hospital to help treat patients.
The United States Tennis Association (USTA) has voiced their optimism about holding the grand slam as scheduled with a final decision set to be made in June. However, it has emerged that the tournament could potentially be moved to another venue.
“In the multiple scenarios managed by the professional circuits, both male and female, there is the option that the US Open, one of the big four on the calendar, could move to the Indian Wells facility,” a separate Marca report reads.
The likelihood of this occurring is still unclear. Indian Wells certainly has the capability to hold major tennis events on a large scale as they do with their own event every year in March. However, The Telegraph has reported that J.P Morgan is rumoured to be against moving the event out of New York. The New York-based Financial company is one of the main sponsors of the US Open. Furthermore, there are concerns about the hot temperatures during that time.
On the other hand, given the current situation in New York it is questionable if the US Open would be able to open completely to the public for safety reasons by the summer. USTA Executive Director Michael Dowse has also said it would be ‘highly unlikely’ that the event would be held behind closed doors. Making a potential relocation to another area of the country a more logical option in one respect.
The US Open is currently scheduled to take place between August 31st – September 13th.
