Against what many would consider to be long odds, it looks like the Western & Southern Open and U.S. Open will actually happen.
Although tennis has already returned in an official capacity from a five-month hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic in the form of some smaller WTA events, things appear ready to kick into high gear. Both “Cincinnati” and the U.S. Open are set to take place at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, and most of the players on the entry list have already arrived in New York. After all, the Western & Southern Open begins this weekend so that it can conclude next Friday in time for a few days off before the U.S. Open.
For many players – and every ATP player who is participating – the W&S Open will mark their first official tournament back. So it is no surprise that they all seem thrilled to be in New York City and ready to resume their careers. Early indications from NYC are not only that players are happy but that they are also very satisfied with the safety measures being implemented.
“First impressions of the US Open series are really positive,” former USO quarterfinalist John Millman posted on Twitter. “It’s noticeable how hard the USTA has worked to create a comfortable and safe environment. I’m pumped to be back playing. Top effort from the entire USTA team.”
That’s not to say everything will proceed without any problems. Heck, an unnamed individual (but not a player) inside the bubble has already tested positive for Covid-19.
“An individual (non-player) has tested positive for COVID-19 within the Western & Southern Open and US Open controlled environment,” the USTA stated on Tuesday. “The individual is asymptomatic.
“The USTA has worked with the ATP Tour and WTA Tour to create a controlled environment for the 2020 Western & Southern Open and US Open. The USTA, together with its medical advisors and infectious disease specialist from the Mount Sinai Health System, confirmed a positive test result for an individual. In accordance with New York State Department of Health requirements, and in alignment with CDC guidelines and the Tournament health and safety protocols, the individual has been advised that they must isolate for at least 10 days. In addition, contact tracing has been initiated to determine if anyone must quarantine for 14 days.
This is the only positive test of the 1,400 tests administered for Tier 1 individuals, since testing began on August 13.”
In other words, things are not perfect–they were never going to be–but so far they are pretty good.
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Live ATP Tennis…Hooray!