No-Star Return: US Open may be held, despite the reluctance of leading tennis players to participate in the tournament

In the near future, the organizers of the US Open Tennis Championships can officially announce that the 2020 tournament will still take place. According to American media reports, an agreement with the Association of Professional Tennis Players (ATP) and the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) has already been reached. It is reported that the matches will be held in the empty stands, and journalists will not be allowed on the courts.

The controversial decision is made against the backdrop of discussions about the appropriateness of the US Open. More and more tennis players are in favor of canceling the competition and are threatening not to come to New York. Many of them are not satisfied with the conditions that have to be observed in order to avoid the spread of coronavirus.

So, Austrian Dominic Tim and German Alexander Zverev agreed that in the current conditions it would be extremely difficult to hold a tournament.

“The conditions are pretty harsh. It seems to me that some of them will have to be changed so that it makes sense to go ... Grand Slam tournaments can be very expensive in terms of physics, and you have to choose between a coach and a physiotherapist, ”Tim AFP quotes.

More harsh in their judgments was the Australian Nick Kirios. He noted that the US Open could be hindered not only by a pandemic, but also by ongoing protests throughout the United States after the death of African American George Floyd during police detention.

“ATP is trying to host the US Open. A selfish step, considering everything that is happening at the moment. Of course, we are talking about coronavirus, but public unrest has not stopped yet. From my point of view, before resuming tennis, we need to solve these problems together, ”Kirios wrote on Twitter, at the same time contacting tennis leaders Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.

The Spaniard had previously announced his desire to skip US Open. And Djokovic said that for him the season will most likely begin with the September dirt tournaments on the eve of the Roland Garros transferred to the fall.

In addition, the first racket of the world said that most of the colleagues with whom he spoke opposed the holding of the New York tournament. Later, his words were confirmed by journalist Danny Muce. According to him, 70% of the representatives of the ATP tour do not agree with the conditions that the organizers offer.

Federer will not be able to take part for another reason - because of a knee operation carried out in May, he will miss the end of the season.

Concerns about the US Open Tennis Championship are also expressed by the leading representatives of the women's tour. So, the first racket of the world Ashley Barty with understanding reacted to the desire of the organizers to hold competitions, but expressed concern about security issues in connection with recent events.

“I’m eager to go back to court and start playing, but first you need to make sure that it is safe - not only for me, but for my team. Obviously, it’s difficult to set any tasks now, because we don’t know how the rest of the year will go. There are many more issues beyond our control, ”Barty told the Associated Press.

In turn, Romanian Simone Halep stressed that she understands the players who were left without earnings due to the cancellation of tournaments, but for herself, she still does not see any reason to fly to the USA.

“We are used to the fact that usually everything happens differently. The transition period will not be easy, especially for our form. I understand that from a financial point of view, organizing and sponsoring a tournament is profitable. In addition, many players were left without work, but everyone must make a decision personally for themselves. It is important to understand that everyone has their own needs and circumstances, and we must take care of our health and think about a career in the long term, ”Halep quotes Essentially Sports.

However, not everyone shares the positions of tour leaders. So, the 2019 Roland Garros semi-finalist Amanda Anisimova noted that the ability to go to court is more important than the inconvenience players may face due to restrictions. And Spaniard Feliciano Lopez is confident that the US Open will benefit both the organizers and most tennis players. In this regard, it should take place, even if the leaders of world tennis do not take part in it.

“Personally, I will come and play. Perhaps the organizers understand that many tennis players will not want to do the same. I think they already know this and decide what to do with it. But holding the US Open depends not only on whether top players will participate. Too many factors speak in favor of the fact that it will take place, ”said Lopez.