The United States Tennis Federation (USTA) does not stop studying formulas for the US Open to be held as it is this year, despite the dramatic situation the country is experiencing due to the Covid-19 pandemic, now aggravated by racial controversy after the murder of the African American George Floyd. A few days ago, Stacey Allaster, executive director of the USTA, announced a series of measures that could be taken to guarantee sanitary conditions. suitable in the American Grand Slam, such as charter charter flights for players, test for coronaviruses, temperature controls, matches to three sets … Now, as the New York Times, proposes a new twist with which he would save two of his most important tournaments: transferring the 1,000 Masters from Cincinnati to New York, just before the US Open.
In this way, by bringing the two events together in the same city, the USTA would create a kind of security bubble for tennis players, who would not have to move from the state of Ohio to the Big Apple. The Western & Southern Open would be held from August 17 to 23, and the United States Open from August 31 to September 13, as scheduled. Leaders of the ATP and WTA circuits have already received the proposal, but they spoke anonymously because they are not allowed to comment on this possibility publicly until it becomes official, if that happens. The Cincinnati men's tournament is hosted by the USTA, while the women's tournament is owned by Octagon.
Quarantine rules, both on the way and on the return of transatlantic travel, are an obstacle to this plan, although President Donald Trump is in favor of granting permission to the big stars of sport so that they go to compete in the USA. Another question will be the return, for example, to Europe. The American Bethanie Mattek-Sands, who has not been one of the recipients of the project, was able to speak to the Times and she sees it well: “There really is nothing in the rule books for this situation. Putting two big tournaments in the same place is definitely on the right track, because it makes controlling things a little bit easier.” Whatever happens with this idea, the US Open and the rest of the governing bodies of world tennis will make a decision on the immediate future of the circuit in the coming days.