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The 2020 US Open will go on as scheduled this summer as scheduled despite the coronavirus pandemic. The Grand Slam tournament will take place between August 31 and September 13 in Queens, New York.
However, there will be one big change with New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announcing the event will be held without fans.
“We are incredibly excited that Governor Cuomo and New York State have today approved our plan to host the 2020 US Open and 2020 Western & Southern Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center,” USTA Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director Mike Dowse said in a statement. “We recognize the tremendous responsibility of hosting one of the first global sporting events in these challenging times, and we will do so in the safest manner possible, mitigating all potential risks.
“We now can give fans around the world the chance to watch tennis’ top athletes compete for a US Open title, and we can showcase tennis as the ideal social distancing sport. Being able to hold these events in 2020 is a boost for the City of New York and the entire tennis landscape. We will have more details and an official announcement tomorrow.”
The event traditionally takes place at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, New York, but there was no word on whether another venue will be secured. During the coronavirus pandemic, Billie Jean King National Tennis Center was transformed into a field hospital.
The U.S. Open will be the second Grand Slam in 2020, while Wimbledon was canceled for the first time since 1945 and the French Open was postponed to September.
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The coronavirus outbreak has led to the cancellation or postponing of many large events including The Masters, NCAA Tournament, Coachella, SXSW, the Winter X Games, Stagecoach, Ultra Music Festival in Miami, and more. The NBA, NHL, and MLS have temporarily suspended their seasons.
The coronavirus mainly comes from animals and a majority of those who were infected early either worked at or frequently visited the Huanan seafood wholesale market in Wuhan, according to The Guardian. The virus is similar to Severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) and Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome (Mers).
The Wuhan coronavirus is transmitted from person to person through “droplet transmission.” That means an infected person can pass the virus by sneezing or coughing on another person as well as by direct contact.
While a majority of the cases have been detected in the United States and China — with more than 118,000 deaths in the United States — it has now reached many countries around the world. It has also been confirmed in Italy, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, and many other eastern countries.
