SImona Halep, former world number one, has in any case already decided: she will not be in New York this year, preferring to focus on Roland-Garros, rescheduled at the end of September.
Tuesday, the long-awaited day for fans of the little yellow ball arrived. A little before the hour, since the American Tennis Federation (USTA) had planned to announce the good news on Wednesday. But New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who gave the green light, got ahead of him.
“The US Open will be held in Queens, NY, behind closed doors from August 31 to September 13,” he tweeted.
“The American Tennis Federation (USTA) will take extraordinary precautions to protect players and staff, including solid testing, additional cleaning of the venue, additional locker room space, dedicated accommodation and transportation,” a- he justified.
A few minutes later, the body showed its satisfaction after so many uncertainties related to the pandemic, by proposing to maintain this tournament in New York, the city most affected by COVID-19 in the United States, even if its spread is better and better contained.
“We recognize the enormous responsibility of hosting one of the premier world sporting events in these difficult times, and we will do so in the safest way possible, mitigating any potential risks,” USTA said, promising more details unveiled Wednesday concerning its progress.
A month in New York
According to its plan, approved by the men’s ATP and women’s WTA circuits, as several media reported on Monday, the American federation plans in particular to eliminate the singles qualifications and reduce the doubles table from 64 pairs to 24.
She also managed to move the Masters 1000 from Cincinnati (August 16-23) to Flushing Meadows, to follow it up with the United States Open, which allows players to concentrate in New York without making them travel, for almost a month.
It remains to be seen whether the other North American hard-core summer touring tournaments will continue, with the circuits on hold until July 31. ATP and WTA must in principle communicate Wednesday on the schedule of resumption.
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