United State Tennis Association has got a formal nod from New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to organise the US Open from August 31 to September 13. However, like most sports events resuming after the lockdowns imposed worldwide to deal with the COVID-19 threat, the Grand Slam at Flushing Meadows in New York will be played behind closed doors.
USTA Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director Mike Dowse in a statement has confirmed that the State has permission has been availed to organise the tournament.
“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,” Dowse said in the 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.”
The draw for the men’s and women’s doubles will be slashed to half from the usual 64 to 32.
Professional tennis worldwide has been suspended since March following the global spread of COVID-19 pandemic.