Rusedski: 'Roger Federer expressed his views on wanting fans, but...'

While updates are expected from the USTA, the US Open remains scheduled in Flushing Meadows and is expected to begin on August 31st. New York Governor Andrew Como opened up for sporting events behind closed doors and Amazon Prime expert Greg Rusedski believes that the latest slam of the season should be played at all costs to limit the repercussions of the health emergency.

Rusedski on the 2020 US Open

“We need to find a way to get the US Open on this year, without or without spectators,” the 1997 US Open finalist told Tennis365 in an exclusive interview. “So long as we can do it in a way that is safe for all the players and everyone involved, and I think we can, we have to try and do it. Think about the millions of fans around the world who will be watching if we get tennis back. This is a chance to bring tennis to an even bigger audience than usual and even if we don’t have fans in the stadiums, we will have them in their millions around the world watching on TV. It would be a unique experience, even if there were no fans there it would be something we would remember throughout time, that we played a major during the time of the coronavirus pandemic. The site of the US Open is massive and with no spectators there, social distancing would not be a problem. Corporate suites will not be used, there is enough space for everyone involved in the event and there could also be enough space to designate a separate area to every player involved in the event if required. We still have June, July and August before the US Open is due to being played and by then, a lot of businesses will have opened up again and so long as the players feel safe and we can do it the right way then we need to find a way to get tennis back" - he added. Roger Federer has suggested he would not be keen to return to action in empty stadiums. “Roger expressed his views on wanting fans there, but I would definitely be willing to come back now if I was still on the tour. I look at the new-look Davis Cup finals last year and even though it was a fantastic first year for the new-look Davis Cup with an amazing final, let’s not forget how they blacked out the fans because there were low crowds outside of the matches featuring the hosts Spain. No one complained about the matches not having too many fans in there because the tennis was spectacular, so we can play our sport without fans" - Greg Rusedski concluded.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2MeuQ6u