SI Insider: The Latest on the U.S. Open
As sports look to make a return from the coronavirus shutdown, tennis's U.S. Open is still on schedule to take place as is, albeit with some big differences from years past. SI's Jon Wertheim breaks down what those differences may look like.
Read the full video transcript:
Robin Lundberg: It seems that sports are on a way towards a return. For more on the tennis world's version of that, I'm joined by SI senior writer Jon Wertheim. Jon, what's the latest on the U.S. Open?
Jon Wertheim: This is a great parlor game of tennis these days. Will there be a 2020 U.S. Open? And if so, what will it look like? Here we are in early June. And as of now, the event is still on. There really are a number of unique challenges. One of them is the fact this will be held in Queens, which is really the epicenter for COVID in general, a few miles from some of the busiest hospitals. There will not be fans. We are being told that there will be charter planes taking some of the players from Europe to the event. There will be daily temperature checks. The players will not have to quarantine, but they will probably all be staying in the same hotel. Something that I think is significant that people are talking about. Players will be limited in their entourage. It may only be one member. What's being called a bubble by the USDA for players like Serena Williams or Roger Federer, remember, they may have eight or 10 members of their team. So it will be really a bit unnerving for them. I suspect a bit of a change to only have one player they can take with him. There may not be food and beverage on sight. There may not be media on sight. Again, this is going to be very, very different from the U.S. Open past years. But again, here we are in early June and people are really bending over backwards to try and make this event happen. And so far, it's on.
Robin Lundberg: Yeah, I mean, grass or clay is usually the drastic difference you're probably dealing with in tennis. But all sports and all of us have to adjust right now. Jon, appreciate your time, as always.
For more of Jon Wertheim's Insiders, check out the most recent ones:
