US Open Not Giving Up On Staging Tournament, For Now - UBITENNIS

US Open Not Giving Up On Staging Tournament, For Now

A key lead up tournament has been axed and the USTA faces a 80% drop in their net operating income, but optimism over North America only Grand Slam remains.

By Adam Addicott
5 Min Read
The US Open (image via Twitter)

Officials have insisted that the US Open will be held in safe conditions and is currently not in danger of being cancelled despite the American hard court series suffering a significant blow on Tuesday.

The United States Tennis Association has insisted that the New York major will create a ‘safe and controlled environment’ for players. Their assurance comes after the Citi Open in Washington was cancelled due to concerns over travel and a recent trend in COVID-19 outbreaks. America is currently dealing with a rise of cases across the country. According to the New York Times, as of July 21st the seven-day average of new daily cases is 66,406.

Washington was set to be the to be the tournament that would have kick-started the ATP Tour, which has been halted since March 9th. Instead, the Tour is now set to get underway with the Western and Southern Open, which has been moved to the same location as the US Open this year due to the pandemic. In a statement from the USTA, they insist that plans for those two tournaments are still on track.

“The USTA will create a safe and controlled environment for players and everyone else involved in both tournaments that mitigates health risks,” the statement reads.
“We constantly base our decisions regarding hosting these tournaments on our three guiding principles that include safe and healthy of all involved, whether hosting these events are in the best interest in the sport of tennis and whether this decision is financially viable.
“We are confident we remain in-line with all three guiding principles.”

This year’s US Open is set to take a huge financial hit with no fans being allowed to visit the tournament for the first time in its history. Mike Dowse, who is the head of the USTA, has previously said that the net operating income ‘looks’ to be down approximately 80% on the previous year. Nevertheless, they are still committing 91% of their prize money from 2019.

Despite the prospect of losing money, the prospect of not hosting the tournament all together would have even more of a significant financial impact. This is because the USTA is relying on broadcasting deals with TV networks around the world that are worth millions.

“Keep in mind, we have 850,000 fans who attend, but we’ve got hundreds of millions of fans who still watch the Open around the world and will never step foot on the grounds. … We had to adjust ourselves and I think the times have adjusted as well,” USTA chief revenue officer Lew Sherr told Sports Business Daily back in May.

Whilst the USTA is optimistic, the telling factor will be how many top names will play at the US Open this year given the current travel restrictions. The American government has already said players will be exempt from quarantine when entering the country, but the problem lies with what happens when they leave. According to one report from Opencourt, only four top 10 players on the WTA Tour have entered to play in Cincinnati and the US Open so far. They are Karolina Pliskova, Sofia Kenin, Belinda Bencic and Serena Williams. Although the entry deadline is next Monday. It is unclear as to how many top 10 players on the men’s tour have committed.

Amid the uncertainty, Citi Open tournament director Mark Ein believes there could be a silver lining to his event being scrapped. Saying he hopes the latest development will trigger a more rapid response over efforts to clarify the player quarantine rules. Spanish newspaper Marca has reported that the ATP are currently in talks with the country’s National Sports Council (Consejo Superior de Deportes) over their rules regarding players travelling from America.

“I do think the European events are definitely going to happen, and I think the U.S. Open has a really good chance to happen,” Ein told the New York Times. “I think our cancellation could accelerate the resolution of those immigration issues. I think that’s going to make it a focus. You can’t figure these things out the week before the event.”

The US Open is set to start on August 31st.

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