Victoria Azarenka Says Fans at French Open Make Her 'Nervous About the Health Situation'

2020 U.S. Open runner-up Victoria Azarenka is questioning why the upcoming French Open is allowing fans to attend the tournament. 

"To be honest, I'm a little bit nervous about it just because I feel like, as all players are, a little bit nervous about the health situation," Azarenka told reporters on the eve of the event.

"Having fans and playing in front of fans is what we prefer as players, but with these circumstances I'm a bit more nervous about that. I don't know why we are trying something new.

On Sept. 12, Azarenka fell in three sets to Naomi Osaka in the U.S. Open final. The entirety of the of the major was held without spectators present.  

"We had one Grand Slam where things worked out well, but I guess we always need to try something new for no reason," Azarenka said.

The question of how many spectators should be allowed at the tournament comes amid a spike in COVID-19 cases throughout France. Reuters notes that France set a new record of daily COVID-19 infections on Thursday, the fourth in eight days.

Initially, following news of the summer postponement, the tournament planned on hosting 20,000 spectators per day at Roland Garros Stadium. In mid-September, the French Tennis then said it planned to allow 11,500 spectators, a figure which has subsequently decreased.

This past Wednesday, Olivier Véran, France’s health minister, said that large events throughout parts of France, including the Open in Paris, would be limited to no more than 1,000 people. Prior to Véran's announcement, the French Open was still planning on hosting 5,000 spectators per day.

The French Open is set to begin on Sunday.