Within hours of being harshly criticized by para-tennis players for their exclusion from the US Open this year, the USTA telematically met with all parties involved to acknowledge their error. and look for ways to include the wheelchair championship in the 2020 edition. The American Dylan Scott, Olympic champion and winner of the four Grand Slams, had labeled the US Open discrimination as “disgusting” to players with motor disabilities.
Faced with these reproaches, the organization decided to back down and issued the following statement:
“The USTA, along with ITF wheelchair tennis executives, made a very productive call to paratroopers who traditionally compete in the US Open. Leading the call from the USTA was Executive Director Mike Dowse, who Tournament Director Stacey Allaster and Wheelchair Tournament Director Jo Wallen joined in. On the call, the USTA acknowledged that the Association should have communicated directly and worked collaboratively with wheelchair tennis. In developing the plan for the US Open 2020, as it had with both the ATP and the WTA, the USTA also committed to working with the players and the ITF to explore a number of potential scenarios for wheelchair competition. to determine the best approach for athletes and competition. The USTA hopes to collect feedback from players on their perspective and work with the ITF to finalize an approach to competition. on the US Open in a wheelchair. “