US Open without a spectator? Todd Martin can't imagine it
The US Open is currently planning to hold one event - a final decision should be made in mid-June . Todd Martin believes in a cancellation.
by Florian Goosmann
last edit: May 12, 2020, 09:39 pm
The 49-year-old was on the board of the United States Tennis Association for six years and can put himself into the mind games accordingly. A US Open edition without viewers? "I can not imagine that this is possible," said the Flushing Meadows finalist from 1999 in an interview with the tennis portal tennis365.com .
One reason, according to "gentleman" Martin: Without viewers, a "massive core of revenue breaks away". You also don't know about the consequences for sponsorship. Advertisers would expect proper hospitality and hospitality for their customers if they support the event. Here, too, some income would be lost.
And that's not all. The other questions that would arise: How do you get international players into a tennis stadium that is currently used as a hospital ? How do you get them out of New York? How do you secure and protect them in confined spaces?
Sometimes you have to stop and let things pass, said Martin, now CEO of the Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport.
The easiest decision right now is to put ice on hold in 2020. This would be the right thing and would make it possible to make all other important decisions and lay the foundation for the future of tennis.