New York: Tennis world No.1 Novak Djokovic said that the rules around participation in the US Open are "extreme." The Grand Slam is slated to be held from August 24 to September 13 and the United States Tennis Association (USTA) has said that it wants to hold the tournament on the scheduled dates.
"Just yesterday I had a telephone conversation with the leaders of world tennis, there were talks about the continuation of the season, mostly about the US Open due in late August, but it is not known whether it will be held," Djokovic told Prva TV television and quoted by Blic online daily.
"The rules that they told us that we would have to respect to be there, to play at all, they are extreme. We would not have access to Manhattan, we would have to sleep in hotels at the airport, to be tested twice or three times per week.
"Also, we could bring one person to the club which is really impossible. I mean, you need your coach, then a fitness trainer, then a physiotherapist.
"All their suggestions are really rigorous but I can understand that due to financial reasons, due to already existing contracts, organisers (want the event to be) held. We will see what will happen."
The USTA said that it's "top goal" is to ensure the US Open is held on the scheduled dates and it is mulling restricting the access of fans to the tournament venue.
"The USTA continues to model many different scenarios regarding the 2020 US Open," said Chris Widmaier, the USTA's head of communications. "Our top goal is to conduct the US Open in New York in our scheduled dates. To that end, we are modeling many potential scenarios which include both limited fans and potentially no fans on site for the event."
