US Open: This is what the new, stricter rules look like
On Tuesday, USTA not only announced the list of participants for the US Open, but also the stricter rules that players must follow during the maximum of three weeks (including the Cincinnati tournament).
by tennisnet.com
last edit: Aug 05, 2020, 08:20 am
The superiority of a so-called bubble concept over the principle of personal responsibility can be seen these days in three major US sports leagues: while the NBA (in the Disney department near Orlando) and the NHL (in Edmonton and Toronto) have theirs With teams in a bubble under strict conditions, Major League Baseball considered it a good idea to have their teams fly across the country and play regular home and away games.
The consequence: While there has been nothing to complain about among ice hockey players and basketball players, the baseball season is about to end after just under two weeks. From this point of view, the USTA would do well to orient itself towards the NHL and NBA, even if the game operation of these two leagues should last significantly longer than the three-week tennis break in New York City. The concept of the German Basketball Bundesliga could also serve as a blueprint for this, which made its championship decision in Munich within three weeks without any problems.
If you leave the bubble without permission, you fly out
The catch with all these comparisons is, of course, that the participants in the US Open and before that in the Cincinnati tournament come from almost all over the world. And possibly set off again after a first round defeat, wherever. USTA has to deal with this, which is why it has now also drawn up a new, stricter catalog of rules for players and accompanying persons. Here are some excerpts:
- Players must arrive in New York at least four days before their first match.
- The first COVID-19 test is done on arrival, the next 48 hours later. It is then tested every four to seven days.
- Players who leave the bubble (i.e. the two designated player hotels or, in individual cases, private accommodation sanctioned by the USTA) without written permission will be excluded from the tournament and punished. If a supervisor leaves this bubble, not only will the tournament be excluded, he / she will also not receive accreditation for the coming year.
- Players who test positive are excluded from the tournament and must be isolated for ten days. If a player lives in a room with a person who has tested positive, he will also be removed from the tournament and must be isolated for 14 days.
- The participants may take a maximum of three supervisors to the facility. In the competition zone, the changing room and the player restaurant, on the other hand, a maximum of one supervisor per player is permitted.