Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios has accused officials of being ‘selfish’ after multiple sources on Monday confirmed that the US Open would be going ahead later this year.
There has been uncertainty over the future of this year’s grand slam event due to the ongoing COVID-19 crises with New York being the epicentre of the American outbreak. However, both Forbes and ESPN have confirmed that the event will take place under various restrictions. Including limiting the number of team members player’s can have with them on the site and only allowing them to stay hotels next to the airport. There is also a strong possibility that the event will be held behind closed doors for the first time.
“Our team has literally worked around the clock to figure out a way we can have the U.S. Open and do it in a safe way,” The New York Times quoted USTA president Patrick Galbraith as saying last Wednesday during a video call.
“Without having close social contact, we feel if one player gets it (COVID-19), it’s not going to spread. Our infectious disease specialists are confident on that. They are going to be pulled out of the environment, but you have to have close contact to get this.” He later added.
Despite the assurances from Galbraith many players on the Tour still have their reservations about attending the Grand Slam, Including world No.40 Kyrgios. Who took to social media to express his unhappiness about the situation. Kyrgios is yet to say whether he would participate in this year’s US Open or not.
“Smh (abbreviation for shaking my head) – people that live in the US of course are pushing the Open to go ahead. ‘Selfish’ I’ll get my hazmat suit ready for when I travel from Australia and then have to quarantine for 2 weeks on my return,” he tweeted on Tuesday.
Other players to have also expressed their concerns include Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Simona Halep, Ash Barty and Petra Kvitova. Djokovic has previously described the proposed measures set to be implemented as ‘extreme’ and is contemplating switching his focus solely to the European clay this season. Meanwhile, two-time Wimbledon champion Kvitova has previously said she would rather the tournament be cancelled than face the prospect of playing in empty stadiums.
Amid the possibility of some top names skipping their premier event, the USTA is determined to go ahead as planned with both TV and sponsorship deals at stake. Unlike Wimbledon, they are not covered by pandemic insurance. Meaning they would have lost a substantial amount of money if the event was cancelled. The full details about how the 2020 tournament will take place is yet to be confirmed. However, Sports Illistrated journalist Jon Wertheim has reported that potentially 95% of prize money from last year will be available despite the USTA suffering a 60% loss in revenue.
A formal announcement concerning the US Open will be made later this week once it is given the green light from state officials in New York. It will get underway on August 31st.
