Tag: Tennis

Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova says some players will not go to the US Open if current coronavirus restrictions continue.

The US Open is due to be played without fans in New York from 31 August.

The country is still reporting tens of thousands of new coronavirus cases daily and possible quarantine rules for players are unclear.

“I know a few players will definitely not go if the restrictions are like they are now,” Kvitova told BBC 5 Live.

The 30-year-old Czech added: “I’m still thinking of what everything will look like, what the restrictions will be, how many people we can take and if they quarantine us.”

World number one Novak Djokovic has previously said he is “not sure” whether he will play, while defending men’s champion Rafael Nadal has also expressed reservations.

The US has reported more than 3.4 million cases of coronavirus, and more than 136,000 deaths nationwide, according to Johns Hopkins University.

• Coronavirus: Will 2020 US Open survive escalating health crisis?

Kvitova – who is ranked 12th in the world – is one of several top players competing in front of fans at the Bett1 Aces exhibition tournament in Berlin.

It is the first sporting event in Germany to take place with spectators, who have to socially distance in the stands.

Kvitova has played behind closed doors in the past and describes the experience as “weird”, adding that she cannot envisage playing a major tournament in those conditions.

“Playing without the fans in Grand Slams, I can’t really see it,” she said.

“If that happens and everything is OK I will go for sure to compete but there’s still a chance I will not go. I will decide when I know everything.”

Meanwhile, 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams will return to the court for the first time since before the start of the pandemic at the inaugural edition of the Top Seed Open in Lexington, Kentucky, which starts on 10 August.

The US Tennis Association played its trump card at the very first opportunity.

At a news conference to confirm the US Open will go ahead in New York this summer, Serena Williams popped up on the screen to say she cannot wait to take part.

The six time champion, who has had the Flushing Meadows surface shipped to her home for practice, will be trying once again to tie Margaret Court’s record of 24 Grand Slam singles titles.

The USTA is hoping her confidence will rub off on others.

There has already been strong public opposition to staging the US Open from Novak Djokovic and Nick Kyrgios, and reticence from Rafael Nadal, Ashleigh Barty and Simona Halep.

Their caution is understandable. If you were to take a holistic approach to the return of professional tennis, you would not start in the United States. Europe is currently a much better bet, as tournament directors in Paris and Madrid draw up plans that even include spectators.

They may remain uncomfortable with the number of Covid-19 cases the United States is reporting; they may not wish to spend weeks away from their family; or perhaps they would prefer to direct all their energies towards the French Open, which will start just 13 days after the curtain falls in New York.

But their sentiments should not divert attention from the fact that many other top 100 players are enthusiastic and relieved that the show is back on the road.