U.S. Open to take place in 2020 without spectators

Arthur Ashe Stadium (David W. Boswell, Wikimedia Commons)

According to Lindsay Kimble of People Magazine,  the United States Tennis Association has confirmed there will be a U.S. Open in 2020. However, the tournament will be completely different, as there will be no spectators in attendance.

The U.S. Open will remain at Flushing Meadows, New York, and not be moved to Indian Wells, California, as what had previously been rumoured. The New York site was confirmed by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo who tweeted “the @usopen will be held in Queens, NY without fans from August 31 to September 13.”

The U.S. Open will be the second major on the tennis schedule this year, and the first in seven months, due to coronavirus. If you cannot instantly remember what happened at the Australian Open back in January, I forgive you because there has not been any tennis since early March. In the men’s final at Melbourne, Novak Djokovic of Serbia defeated Dominic Thiem of Austria in five sets, 6-4, 4-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4. Meanwhile in the women’s final of the 2020 Australian Open, Sofia Kenin of the United States beat Garbine Muguruza of Spain 4-6, 6-2, 6-2.

Due to many different circumstances, there is a growing possibility we may not see the Big Three in New York this summer. We already know that Roger Federer will skip the rest of the 2020 season due to knee surgery. There is a possibility that Rafael Nadal might not go either as he will save himself for the French Open. Meanwhile, Novak Djokovic is concerned about playing without a full entourage and the coronavirus testing protocols that will be in place.

There is also uncertainty at this time for the two ATP Masters 1000 series events leading up to the U.S. Open. The 2020 Rogers Cup in Toronto is doubtful. They have already cancelled the 2020 Rogers Cup in Montreal on the WTA Tour, and Canada has strict border protocols in allowing people into the country. There are also questions where the Cincinnati Masters will be.

New York remains a hot spot for coronavirus. There are currently 405, 781 cases in New York state alone and 30,996 deaths.