Belinda Bencic still does not know if she will participate in the US Open in New York. Number 8 at the WTA wants to wait to see how the situation evolves before making a decision.
After a five-month break, the WTA circuit will resume in Palermo on August 3. The US Open is due to start on August 31 as planned under strict health and safety conditions and without spectators. While in New York City, the epicenter of the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, the number of new infections has been declining for weeks, other American states such as Florida or Texas have registered a very large increase in cases. Tennis is also in the spotlight and critics after the Adria Tour fiasco initiated by Novak Djokovic with many positive cases among the participants.
“I’m still maturing my thinking about the US Open, Bencic told the Keystone-ATS news agency. For lower ranked players, who haven’t won anything for a long time, it’s great to be able to play again. ” But it also includes the best in the world. It is almost unimaginable to play a Grand Slam tournament in such conditions. “You can’t stay at the hotel for 18 hours and then wait for a high level performance on the field, notes the semi-finalist of the US Open last year. It is important to be able to clear your head. “
The 23-year-old St. Gallen has spent the past few months in Slovakia with her boyfriend and has posted seven games since resuming activities. Last week, she won an exhibition tournament in Bratislava with a final victory over Viktoria Kuzmova, before playing in league matches. Another tournament is planned in the Slovak capital next week before a return to Switzerland where she will participate among other things in the interclub.
The good sides of the crisis
Although the tennis world practically stopped for three months, Bencic saw good things in this COVID-19 crisis, especially for the environment. “In some cities, the sky has turned blue again.” She appreciated not being exposed to the stress of tournaments, being able to rest and having time for other things, such as improving her cooking skills. Bencic also learned to be patient and to adapt.
“I tried to stay positive despite all the bad news,” she says. “But it was a strange feeling that I didn’t have a real goal. I wanted to train, but I didn’t know why.” The St-Galloise therefore took its time. She thus worked on her strength, endurance, service and mobility. Aspects that it had to improve.
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