Nick Kyrgios rules out playing Grand Slam without fans

Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios, 24, says he is not a fan of staging a Grand Slam event without fans in attendance.

The Tour has been suspended until at least July 13 due to the coronavirus outbreak. 

The US Open is set to start on August 31 and the organizers have said it is "highly unlikely" they would stage the event behind the closed doors. 

When asked by when asked by Thanasi Kokkinakis on Instagram Live if he would play a Major without fans in the stands, Kyrgios said, per the AAP: "One hundred percent no."

Meanwhile, Australian Open Tournament Director Craig Tiley confirmed last week, if needed, they would explore the possibility of staging the event without fans. 

"These extraordinary times dictate a need for agility and extensive planning that explores a very wide range of options," Tiley said last week. 

"We have to be prepared for a changed environment. We obviously hope that as a community, we are through COVID-19 as quickly and safely as is possible.

"But we don’t know which of the current measures being used to try and contain the spread of infection will still need to be in place for the medium to long term. 

“For example, with such a high-dependency on international travel we are looking at what we might have to do if players need to be quarantined for any length of time before being allowed to freely move around Australia.

"Another example is if mass gatherings are still not allowed or severely restricted next year, we are looking at the possibility of running an event for broadcast. These are just two of many scenarios we have to examine."

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/3au4Iyq