US Open might be ‘missing some of the players’, but field ‘exceeded’ the expectations from USTA

A couple of the world’s top players won’t feature at this year’s US Open, but the United States Tennis Association (USTA) chief Mike Dowse says the field has “exceeded our expectations”.
After several months of “will it or won’t it happen” headlines due to the coronavirus pandemic, the 2020 hard-court Grand Slam remains a go thanks to tireless work from organisers.
It will be sans a few high-profile players, though, as defending champions Rafael Nadal and Bianca Andreescu, and world No 1 Ashleigh Barty and world No 2 Simona Halep have pulled out due to Covid-19 fears.
Simona Halep puts her ‘health at the heart of her decision’ as she pulls out of US Open
USTA CEO and Executive Director Dowse is pleased that they still have a “really strong” field.
“In context of the times and how different the world is, I couldn’t be happier. It’s exceeded our expectations,” he said. “We are missing some of the players, but overall the numbers are really strong on the strength of our field. I’m just excited to see some great tennis that we haven’t seen for several months. People are starved to see these great athletes competing in these two big tournaments.”
He added: “I’m really optimistic that we’re going to look back at this in a few months and really be proud of what everyone accomplished, what this has done for tennis.”
There is a strict “bio-secure bubble” for players, non-playing staff and officials in New York ahead of the Western & Southern Open and US Open, but there was one positive coronavirus test this week with a non-player returning a positive result.
One non-player returns positive coronavirus test in New York tennis bubble ahead of US Open
“We expected this to happen,” Dowse told The Associated Press. “Mathematically, we expected to have a positive, if not more than one. So we did anticipate this and we have put very specific protocol in place to prevent this from spreading broadly. … Our number one priority is to take care of this person first, and secondly to prevent the spread from going any further.”
Follow us on Twitter @T365Official.
Latest
-
ATP Tour
Montreal draw: Daniil Medvedev set for nightmare opener against Nick Kyrgios
Taylor Fritz faces Andy Murray in one of the highlights of the first round.
-
Tennis Features
How much is tennis legend John McEnroe worth?
John McEnroe owns several properties and continues to do broadcasting work.
-
News
Los Cabos: Cameron Norrie eye on third ATP Tour title of 2022
The British number one battled to a 6-4 3-6 6-3 victory in the semi-finals.
-
Tennis News
Citi Open: Nick Kyrgios marches on as Dan Evans is upset
Nick Kyrgios is chasing a repeat of 2019 and a first title since his last DC Triumph.
-
WTA Tour
Toronto draw: Stacked top quarter could be seeds graveyard
The Toronto Masters has no soft paths to glory.
-
WTA Tour
Citi Open: Emma Raducanu falls to Liudmila Samsonova
Fellow Brit Dan Evans also went down in Washington.
-
WTA Tour
Exclusive – Former British No 1 with an upbeat verdict on Emma Raducanu
Durie has backed the young Brit to find her form if she can steer clear of injuries.
-
Tennis News
Exclusive – Former British No 1 on whether Novak Djokovic should play at the US Open
Jo Durie believes it will be a ‘real shame’ if Novak Djokovic cannot play at the US Open.
-
WTA Tour
Naomi Osaka lauds Coco Gauff as a star on and off the court
Coco Gauff is already a big star according to Naomi Osaka.
-
WTA Tour
Emma Raducanu could climb to World No 8 in DC
A new career-high ranking might await Emma Raducanu next week.