According to American tennis player Rajeev Ram, the US Open should not happen even if one qualified player cannot participate in it owing to the travel restrictions in place in view of the coronavirus pandemic. The winner of the Australian Open Men”s doubles also stated that players would not be quite comfortable playing the Grand Slam if a vaccine is not developed for the dreaded COVID-19 till then.
“We can’t have the US Open until everyone who has qualified for the event is in a position to travel to the event, until that happens we are going to be at a standstill,” the 36-year-old American told Wion.
The organisers are also mulling to shift the Cincinnati Open to New York so that it becomes feasible to host two events back to back. Ram stated that such an arrangement would only be possible if authorities can ensure the safety of everyone involved.
“As far as holding the back-to-back events are concerned, the idea sounds good as long as the authorities can ensure the safety of everyone involved,” he said.
“I don’t think it would be fair for the tournament to go ahead if players can’t make it due to travel restrictions. Even if one player who has qualified cannot make it to the US Open because of some travel regulations, then I believe it should not go ahead.
“For the tournament to take place, a safe and secure environment must be created and the competition should also be fair on all tennis players.”
The pandemic has already forced the organisers to cancel Wimbledon earlier this year. It was the first time that the grass-court Grand Slam had been cancelled since the Second World War.