British number one Dan Evans reckons, a US Open behind closed doors could be “iconic” despite taking away from the atmosphere.
Speaking to BBC Radio, Evans noted it would send out a strong message that the tour can get going and it will be an amazing spectacle that tennis goes ahead with no-one in the stadium, and everybody watching on television. Evans alluded to a Federer-Nadal clash in an empty Arthur Ashe Stadium as being iconic, and one to remember for the years to come.
With the ATP Tour suspended since early March (and is currently scheduled to remain suspended through July 31 at least), organizers and authorities are looking for different ways to keep the sport active ranging from exhibition series to now considering hosting ATP tournaments without fans.
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The US Open is currently scheduled to begin on August 31st and the USTA is expected to provide a further update mid-June on the plans for the tournament.
As of the latest update provided on April 30th, the authorities were hoping to do everything possible to still host the tournament with fans in full attendance. However, given how the pandemic has progressed and what is has taken to re-open states and cities with social distancing, hosting a fan-filled US Open seems improbable at the moment.
In aid of the US Open being held as per schedule, New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo who has led the effort against the Coronavirus pandemic, mentioned that he would encourage sports to return without fans and would be supportive by doing what it takes at the state level to facilitate its success.
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Meanwhile, speaking to Gustavo Kuerten on a video call, Roger Federer mentioned that he would be open to the idea of playing behind closed doors, but is not too keen on the idea. The Swiss maestro further mentioned that he was not training at the moment as he felt the start of the tour was a while away.
While we hope to know more in the weeks to come, and plenty remains fluid and ever-evolving, it seems as though we may well see some Grand Slam tennis this Fall.
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