No qualification: Noah Rubin defends US Open decision
The American Noah Rubin defended USTA's decision not to qualify for this year's US Open .
by Florian Goosmann
last edit: Jun 27, 2020, 02:31 pm
No qualification at the US Open - a point that causes misunderstanding among many players and fans. Especially since the Cincinnati Masters tournament is to take place in New York in the actual qualifying week, again with the top players. They therefore have two opportunities to play and earn money, while players in the lower ranks have none at all.
Noah Rubin, as the current number 225 of the ATP actually also a candidate for the qualification and thus sufferer of the decision, understands this. "I think a lot of people don't understand the economic factor. For me, it may well be that I can't play the US Open for the first time in many years," said the New Yorker in his podcast Behind the Racquet .
"When you first thought about forming another safe bubble for the qualifiers before the main players came, you probably underestimated the cost," said Rubin. "There were no winners at that time," said the 24-year-old.
What comes after the US Open and French Open?
The US Open is also clear that the situation is not optimal. "The US Open get it, they feel bad. But they give us a check even though we don't even play. And they give us opportunities to play (at Challenger tournaments). The big question is what happens afterwards." Players who are actually entitled to qualify should receive appropriate payment. If there were no US Open at all, there would be no money at all, said Rubin.
Ultimately, it is "only" about two big tournaments, the US Open and the French Open. Above all, one should focus on what comes afterwards. "Where are we in October?"
Another big problem is that the software manufacturer "Oracle" , which had sponsored many US Challenger tournaments, said goodbye to tennis. And so some ways to play would be eliminated.
Due to the lack of qualifications, the best 120 players will be allowed to participate in New York, 8 wild cards are also reserved. The real cut-off, on the other hand, could be 155 to 160, Rubin estimates, since some players would probably not start Flushing Meadows.