US Open will be held without fans, says New York gov

Andrew Cuomo, New York governor, has given approval for the 2020 US Open tennis tournament to go ahead as scheduled but without fans.

The 140th edition of the US Open is billed to commence from August 31, to September 13, at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens.

Cuomo took to his Twitter page on Tuesday to announce that the tournament will be held as planned — as part of the state’s reopening from lockdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

In a bid to adhere to social distancing guidelines, the governor added that this year’s championship will be played without fans.

“The USTA will take extraordinary precautions to protect players and staff, including robust testing, additional cleaning, extra locker room space, and dedicated housing & transportation,” Cuomo wrote.

The @usopen will be held in Queens, NY, without fans from August 31 to September 13.

The USTA will take extraordinary precautions to protect players and staff, including robust testing, additional cleaning, extra locker room space, and dedicated housing & transportation.

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— Archive: Governor Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) June 16, 2020

The US Tennis Association (USTA) had earlier agreed to go forward with its marquee event in New York without spectators. It was however, waiting for approval from the state governor.

A Statement on the 2020 US Open pic.twitter.com/WIrb77MXz5

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— US Open Tennis (@usopen) June 16, 2020

“We are incredibly excited that Governor Cuomo and New York State have today approved our plan to host the 2020 US Open and 2020 Western & Southern Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center,” Mike Dowse, CEO of the USTA, said in a statement.

“We recognize the tremendous responsibility of hosting one of the first global sporting events in these challenging times, and we will do so in the safest manner possible, mitigating all potential risks.

“We now can give fans around the world the chance to watch tennis’ top athletes compete for a US Open title, and we can showcase tennis as the ideal social distancing sport.

“Being able to hold these events in 2020 is a boost for the City of New York and the entire tennis landscape. We will have more details and an official announcement tomorrow.”

With no professional tennis match played since March due to the COVID-19 crisis, this year’s US Open might miss out on some of its star players like Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, who have expressed reservations about the tournament going ahead as scheduled.