Andy Murray: I expect US Open to go ahead and I'm preparing to play

Three-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray is expecting the US Open to go ahead and he is preparing to play at Flushing Meadows this year. 

The US Open organizers have received the green light from te New York Governor to proceed with the event and they are doing everything they can to organize the event as safely as possible.

The United States have been the nation hardest hit nation by the coronavirus pandemic but the US Open organizers believe they can still safely organize the tournament.

"Yeah (I expect the US Open to go ahead as planned). As it stands," Murray said, per Metro UK. "We have to try and prepare that way, we were saying four or five weeks ago, you know, we were pretty sceptical about it but mentally at some stage you need to start preparing and planning for that.

"My training this week, for example, during the event next week, I’m planning to try and be there in shape for the US Open."

"If it wasn’t happening my schedule for practising, my rehab would all be a bit different. So yeah, mentally I’m planning for it to go ahead."

The USTA is planning to stage both the Cincinnati Masters and US Open in New York, in a bubble.

"I’m not particularly keen on playing back-to-back weeks but it’s also kind of in a situation here where you’re potentially not getting to play in a proper tournament for like – well for a lot of the guys it’ll be five, six months but for me like 10 months since I last competed properly," Murray added.

"I've spoken to my team about potentially playing qualifying in Cincinnati, trying to get a couple of matches in or I could take a wildcard but that’s also something, I haven’t played the week before a Slam – I can’t remember the last time I did that, I would have been 19 so it’s been a while."

Johanna Konta also preparing to play the US Open 

Top-ranked British female player Konta is also expecting the US Open to go ahead as planned and she is one of the players that intends to play in New York this year.

"To be honest, we haven’t had any meetings for a few weeks now," Konta said. "But everything is pointing in the direction that it is going to go ahead. 

"They have been quite vocal that they are pushing forwards. Just basing my opinion on all the information that is there, I think it probably will."

Murray claimed his maiden Grand Slam title at the US Open in 2012, while Konta made her first quarterfinal at Flushing Meadows last year.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/3f1dYw1