THE US OPEN tennis championships will go ahead as scheduled in August but without spectators, officials confirmed today.
After weeks of uncertainty surrounding the tournament — which is being staged in the epicentre of the US coronavirus crisis — New York Governor Andrew Cuomo formally gave the event the green light.
“The @usopen will be held in Queens, NY, without fans from August 31 to September 13,” Cuomo announced on Twitter.
The New York leader said the US Tennis Association would take “extraordinary precautions” to protect players and staff during the event.
Those safety protocols included robust testing, additional cleaning, extra locker room space, and dedicated housing and transportation, Cuomo added.
The decision had been anticipated after reports on Monday said the USTA’s plans for the tournament had received support from the ATP and WTA Tours.
The ATP/WTA Cincinnati hardcourt event — the Western & Southern Open — will also be staged at the USTA’s Billie Jean King National Tennis Center at Flushing as a lead-in tournament.
The USTA opted to move the tournament to New York in order to minimise travel for players taking part in both tournaments.
USTA Mike Dowse said the US Open would be held in the “safest manner possible, mitigating all potential risks”.
Several leading players have expressed reservations about the prospect of playing a tournament in New York, with world number one Novak Djokovic the most vocal critic.
Djokovic has said the proposed safety measures and restrictions on the numbers of support staff allowed for each player were problematical.
“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,” Djokovic said.
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.”
Djokovic’s misgivings have been shared by defending men’s singles champion Rafael Nadal, who would be chasing a 20th Grand Slam title at Flushing.
Nadal, the world number two, said earlier this month he would not play in New York if the tournament was taking place now, adding that tennis should not resume until it is “completely safe” for competitors.
Australia’s Nick Kyrgios meanwhile reacted with disgust about reports indicating the tournament was set to go ahead.
People that live in the US of course are pushing the Open to go ahead ‘Selfish’ I’ll get my hazmat suit ready for when I travel from Australia and then have to quarantine for 2 weeks on my return,” Kyrgios posted on Twitter.
However other players have said it is time for tennis — which has been in shutdown since the coronavirus pandemic erupted — to return.
Karolina Pliskova, the world number three and 2016 US Open finalist, said she was “definitely flying” for the tournament.
“I’ve been at home for six months now. It’s important to start. The sooner we start, the sooner we will play before an audience,” Pliskova said.
“If we stay home waiting for the ideal situation, we may wait forever. The tournament is better with fans but if the players like tennis, they should go.”
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What system?
@Brian Treacy: Hoof the ball up the field and hope for the best.
@Deviléire: And then panic and take off your midfield when it’s going wrong
Where do you start?
1. Reduce prices for coaches to obtain UEFA coaching badges in order to increase our “quality” coaches per capita number.
Likelihood: FAI have the prices so high so they make more money. Coaching costs more expensive here compared to other nations.
2. This player development plan, do we know if we have it fully in place?
Likelihood: FAI have real divide worj shooks stakeholders and seem to be doing nothing about it.
3. Use international friendlies to cap young players and play a whole new creative and attacking style of play (e.g. field an U25 team)
Likelihood: Capping promising LOI players would help exposure of suffering LOI but FAI dont care.
4. Realise that we have a domestic league that needs serious resourcing and funding.
Likelihood: “Problem Child”
Raise points about failures .
Likelihood : Peter nagle is an idiot with prepackaged answers on who is to blame & why.
We are a defensive team. We cannot play a passing game because when we do we get exposed. Denmark’s second goal was a perfect example. A good passing move then we lose the ball in a bad position, bang game over. The grumpy old men on RTE think we are a little Brazil. Getting sick of their spoof.
@prop joe: but we can be a passing team if we pass the ball. How in the name of Jesus are people missing this point? We have Premiership midfielders horsing the ball everywhere and anywhere. Are you trying to say that Denmark are that more technically gifted than us? The answer is is they are not. Not at all. The negativity of our ‘gameplan’ is an absolute disgrace. We gave Georgia 70% possession after going one nil up.
@prop joe: kinda need to press to win the ball back so then you can pass.
How about bouncing on Martin?
Qualifying for major tournaments is obviously a major feat but if we have to play the way we play in order to have a sniff of qualifying and then don’t, then I’d prefer we at least try and play ball for the next campaign and if we don’t qualify at least we tried it. I don’t expect we play like Brazil away, but I also don’t expect we play like Gibraltar at home.
@Shane Doherty: nice one Dad
Really need to get a few younger players into the squad, other than O Dowda, there was no one in the squad under 25. I reckon it’ll be the last campaign for a good few of the players, O Shea, Whelan, Hoolahan, Murphy and probably Walters will definitely be thinking of calling it quits at this stage
@COYBIG: the u21s look good
@Jordo: time to get a few of those 21s in and get rid of the back passer brigade. Rice Hourihane and Shaughnessy are better than what’s playing. They actually have a brain. I’d rather we got beaten trying to play than at the crap we are at. We’re a laughing stock
This team isnt for anyone who follows football because this isnt real football or anything that even resembles it.Christ the COYBIG and Irish fan culture is a bit of a cult. I dont know if these lads even follow football. We always fall back on ” the best fans in the world ” tag when we get spanked. The Irish will always be great fans. But the acceptance of this utter rubbish football is becoming a farce. It doesnt have to be this bad- no way. We know we dont have talented players but we have some good ones and everyone of them have a great attitude. Under Mick McCarthy and at various times under other managers we have played football with great results. But i have no idea what this ” hot potato football ” is??The players and the Irish football fan deserves better.
System? Pass it to the other team or hood if out of touch
Sick of Ireland getting manky groups though.. England etc always getting relatively piss easy ones.. I know they’re tier one, but it’s annoying when you see teams like Japan constantly in the cup
@Acedeuce: Japan are a lot better than us
It would appear that neither the author or any of the people commenting actually watched the match. When we tried to pass the ball we gave it away quickly. This directly led to their second goal. We play the way we do because we are not good at playing the way you all seem to want us to play.
It’s actually quite a conundrum. Overall, the quality of the players is average to poor, so out skilling and opponents is going to be unlikely, particularly against better teams. O Neil, for the most part as to combat this, has opted for high levels of concentration, tactical rigidity, a strong work ethic and as compact a system as possible. Last night however he compromised (pressure to win and be seen to be more adventurous perhaps..?) and opted for a less compact system, which ultimately greatly weakened the team. Due to what was at stake, I can’t help but speculate and suggest that the reaction would have been the same regardless of whether; we had lost 0-1 to a fluke, had lost on penalties following a nil all draw, or, as what happened, we were trashed 1-5.