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United States Tennis Association.
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Showing posts with label
United States Tennis Association.
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NEW YORK - A positive test for coronavirus has been found in the New York tennis bubble where the US Open is set to take place later this month, the United States Tennis Association (USTA) announced on Tuesday.
USTA medical officer Bernard Camins revealed that the person who has contracted the virus "is not a player" and is asymptomatic.
The finding comes after 1,400 tests for the disease were conducted since August 13 in the bubble at the Billie Jean King center in New York City, where the Cincinnati ATP event and the US Open are to be staged.
Dr. Camins said the male individual initially tested negative but then a second test two days later came up positive. He added that the person's hotel roommate has also been placed under quarantine.
"It would have been nice if he was positive the first time. But the reason we added the second test at 48 hours was to account for the time we couldn't be covering," Dr. Camins said.
The US Open, which was rescheduled to start on August 31, has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has led to a host of top players pulling out of the tournament.
Among those not taking part are men's world number two -- and last year's champion at Flushing Meadows -- Rafael Nadal and the majority of the top 10 from the WTA women's tour.
Ranked second in the world, on Monday Simona Halep became the latest star to skip the American Grand Slam, joining women's world number one Ashleigh Barty and reigning US Open champ Bianca Andreescu.
"We respect their decisions at all times. It's up to each individual player to make that decision," said USTA chief executive Mike Dowse.
"I want to remind everyone, this was not a host at all costs. It had to adhere to our three principles. We're confident it has"
However the men's draw will feature world number one Novak Djokovic and other big names like third-ranked Dominic Thiem and fellow top 10 players Daniil Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alexander Zverev.
Agence France-Presse
LOS ANGELES -- The United States Tennis Association is pressing ahead with preparations to stage the US Open in New York this year but is "aggressively" drafting alternative plans for the tournament, a spokesman said on Thursday.
With New York the epicentre of the coronavirus pandemic in the United States, the US Open's apparently precarious place on the sporting calendar has faced increasing speculation in recent weeks.
Multiple reports have suggested that USTA officials are mulling a possible switch of the August 31-September 13 tournament to either Indian Wells or Orlando in an effort to evade the clutches of COVID-19.
However, USTA spokesman Chris Widmaier said in an email to AFP on Thursday that the organisation's sights remained firmly set on staging the Open at its regular venue and date.
"The USTA's goal is to hold the 2020 US Open in New York on its currently scheduled dates," Widmaier said, describing planning for the tournament as "ongoing."
"We understand that there is a great deal of speculation regarding the USTA's planning for the 2020 US Open," he added. "We would like to clarify that while we are exploring every possibility around the US Open, the potential to shift the event location or date is not at the forefront at this point in time."
Widmaier added, however, that because of the "uncertain and rapidly-changing environment" caused by COVID-19, the USTA had been "aggressively modeling many other contingencies, including scenarios with no fans."
A final decision on plans for the US Open would be taken next month, in "mid-to-late June", Widmaier said.
"Paramount with all our decisions regarding the US Open will be the health and safety of all those involved, in any capacity, with the tournament," Widmaier said.
USTA officials are in constant contact with New York State and City agencies regarding coronavirus.
COVID-19 has wreaked havoc with the international tennis calendar, which has ground to a standstill since the crisis erupted.
The French Open at Roland Garros has already been postponed until the end of September while Wimbledon has been cancelled.
Spanish star Rafael Nadal meanwhile has questioned whether the sport will be able to return this year, describing 2020 as "practically lost" in an interview earlier this month.
The New York Times meanwhile reported on Wednesday that the USTA had not yet held any serious talks with Larry Ellison, the billionaire owner of Indian Wells Tennis Garden about possibly relocating the US Open to the California desert.
The Times reported that the other venue under possible consideration, the USTA's 100-court Orlando training center was problematic as there was no infrastructure to support fans and courts would also need to be wired for live television.
Agence France-Presse
