US Open ‘highly unlikely’ to be staged without spectators

Image Credits: Twitter/@usopen

The United States Tennis Association (USTA) has said that it is expected to take a decision on whether to cancel or postpone the US Open due to coronavirus by July, with the chances of holding the fourth major of the season without spectators ‘highly unlikely’.

The 2020 edition of the US Open is slated to take place from August 24 to September 13. As the sporting activities across the globe has come to sudden halt in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic--including Wimbledon which was cancelled for the first time since World War II, the US Open is also unlikely to go ahead as per schedule. 

USTA CEO Mike Dowse, who took over the post on January 1, said the governing body obviously wanted to go ahead with the tournament, but the decision on the same would be taken keeping in mind the health and safety of the players.

"Obviously our ambition is to run the tournament. It’s the engine that drives our organization, our governing body. Having said that, that won’t be the driving factor.The driving factor will be the health and well-being of the players, the fans and our staff,” the Guardian quoted Dowse as saying.

With the US Open not scheduled to commence until late August, there are chances that the fourth major can go ahead smoothly. However, Dowse said that if a medical advisory group advises them to hold the tournament without spectators, they might reconsider the schedule.

“Not taking anything off the table, but right now, I’d say that’s a highly unlikely scenario,” Dowse said on holding the US Open without spectators. 

"Things are fluid.If the medical experts come back and say, ‘Here is a foolproof way of running a very safe tournament; unfortunately, it has to be without fans,’ we may reconsider and look at it,” he added.

Besides Wimbledon--which was slated to begin on June 29 this year, the French Open scheduled to take place from May 24 to June 7 was also postponed until September due to the COVID-19.