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New York Governor green-lights US Open at Flushing Meadows

The Governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo, has given the go-ahead for this year's US Open to be play...



New York Governor green-lights...
Other Sports

New York Governor green-lights US Open at Flushing Meadows

The Governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo, has given the go-ahead for this year's US Open to be played at Flushing Meadows. 

What's turned out to be the year's second Grand Slam will be played behind closed doors, and under strict medical protocols.

The tournament will run as originally scheduled from August 31 to September 13.

The US Tennis Association (USTA) is due to make a formal announcement on Wednesday (June 17).

The 2020 tennis calendar has been ravaged by COVID-19, with the French Open pushed back to September and Wimbledon cancelled for the first time since World War II.

Behind the scenes, the USTA had remained determined that the US Open would go ahead in its original time slot and at Flushing Meadows.

In his daily address, Gov. Cuomo said, "The USTA will take extraordinary precautions to protect players and staff, including robust testing, additional cleaning, extra locker room space, and dedicated housing & transportation."

Play on both the WTA and ATP Tours has been suspended since March, with the next tournaments on the calendar being played in early August.

The Citi Open in Washington DC is the likely return point for both tours.

It's been speculated that the traditional US Open warm-up event at Cincinnati (August 17-23) could be moved to a 'tennis bubble' at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Centre.

Despite Tuesday's bullish proclamation from Gov. Cuomo, not everyone is confident about playing at this year's US Open.

Rafa Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Simona Halep are among those to have voiced their reservations.

"I have concerns too", world number 1 Ashleigh Barty told AP.

"I understand the tournaments are eager to run but keeping everyone safe has to be the priority.

"[I'm] still getting my head around what the tournament set up would be. I can't wait to get back out there and play but we have to make sure it's safe to do so first, not just for me but for my team."

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Andrew Cuomo Flushing Meadows New York Tennis US Open