Today, June 16, Governor Cuomo announced that the renowned tennis tournament, the U.S. Open, is approved to continue on this year.
New Yorkers have wondered if typical summer events will resume in some way or be canceled due to COVID-19 regulations, but Cuomo has deemed that at least this game will go on.
The annual tournament will take place from August 31 to September 13 in its usual location, the enormous USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, Queens. Hard to believe only two months ago those same courts were being turned into a temporary hospital.
But this year, there will be no fans in the stands.
The @usopen will be held in Queens, NY, without fans from August 31 to September 13.
The USTA will take extraordinary precautions to protect players and staff, including robust testing, additional cleaning, extra locker room space, and dedicated housing & transportation.
— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) June 16, 2020
The USTA (United States Tennis Association) shared in their own statement:
“We recognize the tremendous responsibility of hosting one of the first global sporting events in these challenging times, and we will do so in the safest manner possible, mitigating all potential risks.
“We now can give fans around the world the chance to watch tennis’ top athletes complete for a US Open title, and we can showcase tennis as the ideal social distancing sport. Being able to hold these events in 2020 is a boost for the City of New York and the entire tennis landscape.”
No word yet on how other spring/summer sports like baseball will fare, though Governor Cuomo has said the state is open to partnering with pro sports team to help bring games back.
See also: Cuomo Will Allow Gatherings Of Up To 25 People In Phase 3 Of Reopening
featured image source: Leonard Zhukovsky / Shutterstock.com