Archive: Sports

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced Tuesday the US Open will be held in Queens without fans from August 31st to September 13th. The USTA will take extraordinary precautions to protect players and staff, including robust testing, additional cleaning, extra locker room space and dedicated housing and transportation.

Tennis star Serena Williams said, "I really cannot wait to return to New York and play the US Open 2020. I feel like USTA is going to do a really good job of insuring that everything is amazing, and everything is perfect and everyone is safe."

Se said the would certainly miss the fans.

The US Open will be played at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, NY, immediately after the Western & Southern Open is played there. The USTA developed a health and safety plan that was approved by New York State government officials.

"These two events are the summer's biggest tennis blockbusters in the US, and we are thrilled for the players, our fans, and all of our partners, that we will be able to mark the return of tennis," said Mike Dowse, USTA Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director. "These tournaments also serve as an inspiration to tennis players of all levels, encouraging them to get out and play given the social distancing nature of our sport."

The USTA says, "The US Open will feature the men's and women's singles main-draw events, each with the traditional 128 players, and men's and women's doubles events, with 32 teams in each competition (down from 64 teams). The Western & Southern Open will feature its traditional format in men's and women's singles, an increased draw of 48 for the men's and women's qualifying tournaments (up from 28 and 32, respectively), and an increased draw size of 32 teams for men's and women's doubles (up from 28 teams). In hosting the two events, the USTA has committed $60 million in total compensation to players to ensure the events are financially viable for all competitors."

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