The U.S. Open, still scheduled for Aug. 31 to Sept. 13, plans to bar spectators and put players in a “bubble” to protect their health. The conditions would require frequent testing for the virus, smaller player entourages and possibly restricting player movements to travel between their accommodations and the U.S.T.A. Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Though there will be an official hotel, players have been told they could stay in nearby private accommodations as long as they adhered to the health requirements.
The U.S.T.A. will decide later this month whether to stage the Open. Government approval will be required. But player buy-in is also important, and there has been early resistance to the bubble concept from some on the ATP Player Council, which includes the men’s game’s biggest stars: Nadal, Djokovic and Federer.
Djokovic said on Friday in remarks reported by Agence France-Presse that the measures were “extreme.” “We would not have access to Manhattan; we would have to sleep in hotels at the airport, to be tested twice or three times per week,” he told Serbian media. “Also we could bring one person to the club, which is really impossible. I mean, you need your coach, then a fitness trainer, then a physiotherapist.”
On Friday, Ross Hutchins, the chief tour officer of the ATP, sent a message to agents and coaches explaining that, after hearing player input, the ATP would soon give feedback to the U.S.T.A. on its plan. The proposal includes moving the Western & Southern Open, a top-tier combined men’s and women’s tournament, from the Cincinnati suburbs to New York and playing it ahead of the U.S. Open.
“Ultimately the decision on the U.S. Open lies with the U.S.T.A.,” Hutchins wrote. “However we have welcomed the continued positive discussions and collaborative approach with us in these particularly tough times.”
It will be intriguing to see if the U.S.T.A. pushes ahead if the men’s megastars make it clear they will not participate. Despite the likely loss of all ticket revenue, the Open has proposed nearly the same prize money for singles as in 2019.
“I applaud them for trying,” said Sam Duvall, president of Topnotch Management, which represents the Americans John Isner, Reilly Opelka and Alison Riske. “I do think the vast majority of players would want to do it. I would hate for a Grand Slam to not go on because a few high-profile players decide it doesn’t work for them.”