Dominic Thiem hopeful US Open will go ahead, but warns ‘safety comes first of course’
Dominic Thiem is eager to play in the US Open if it gets the final green light, but the Austrian insists the tournament won’t be allowed to go ahead if the “government sees any danger”.
New York governor Andrew Cuomo confirmed in June that the hard-court Grand Slam will take place from August 31-September 13 at Flushing Meadows, but it will be a closed-doors event with strict health and safety protocols.
However, there has been a big increase in the number of coronavirus cases in the United States in recent weeks, raising concerns about whether or not it is safe to travel to New York.
World No 3 Thiem says authorities are likely to make a final decision on the tournament in the coming days.
“I think in the next five to seven days there will be a decision,” he told Austrian broadcaster ORF.
“Of course I hope it (the US Open) will go ahead, but safety comes first of course. We have to follow countries’ governments – if they see any danger, they won’t allow a tournament, especially such a big one as the US Open.”
Thiem also discussed the controversial Adria Tour, which was cancelled after several players tested positive for Covid-19.
The exhibition tournament, the brainchild of world No 1 Novak Djokovic, was staged in the Balkans to raise funds for humanitarian projects in the region, but there was no social distancing as Serbia didn’t have any restrictions in place.
Djokovic, Grigor Dimitrov, Borna Coric and Viktor Troicki all tested positive for Covid-19, but Thiem returned a negative test.
He admitted it was “huge mistake by us all”, adding on ORF: “We all acted much too euphoric. The most important is that we learn from our mistakes.”
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