Greek world No.6 Stefanos Tsitsipas believes the Tour shouldn’t resume until fans are able to attend matches as he comes out against the idea of playing the US Open behind closed doors.
The North American major is set to get underway on August 31st amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The United States Tennis Association will make a final decision regarding the tournament later this month where they will also outline any potential rules that could be implemented. Novak Djokovic has recently told reporters that officials are considering allowing players to attend the US Open with just one member of their team and they will be subjected to multiple COVID-19 tests weekly.
There are also doubts about if any fans will be able to attend the event, which is held at Flushing Meadows in New York. A state that has been the epicentre of the virus outbreak in America. There have been more than 24,00 deaths from the virus, which is more than what Germany has. Making the prospect of mass gatherings at sporting events unlikely at the current time.
“My personal view is that it is important to have these tournaments with people and not in front of empty stands,” Tsitsipas said during an interview with sdna.gr. “Say you win such a big event as a Grand Slam. Without the world (fans), adrenaline is not the same, the feeling is not the same.”
“The world is the one that brings energy, fills the stadiums and creates the atmosphere we have. It could, of course, be a tournament without people, but it would not offer the same feeling, the same intensity.”
Tsitsipas is not alone in voicing his doubts over the prospects of playing a fan-less grand slam. 2014 champion Marin Cilic has expressed concerns that such a move would ‘devalue’ the tournament. 20-time grand slam champion Roger Federer has also said that he would find it difficult to play at an empty event. Meanwhile, Petra Kvitova has gone as far as saying that she would prefer the event be cancelled if no fans can attend.
21-year-old Tsitsipas has called on officials to ‘not think about money’ regarding their plans about resuming the Tour. It is still unclear as to when the sport will start again, but a better understanding will emerge within the next week. It is understood that the ATP will host a zoom meeting with player’s on Wednesday.
“For me, they have to wait until things get normal again, get back to the pace we were before and not think about the financial part, which is definitely the biggest factor,” he said.
“For example, in the US Open there are a lot of sponsors, a lot of financial interests and that’s why I think they want the tournament to take place. And I totally understand that, but for me it’s important to wait until we get back to normal and do everything in the ideal way, without there being such big changes that we’re not used to playing with.”
Tsitsipas has won five ATP titles and reached the semi-finals of the 2019 Australian Open. He has made more than $11 million in prize money so far in his career.
