“Tennis Will Be Coming Back” – New York City Mayor Confirms Staging of US Open After Canceling Big Events

The United States of America is leading the global chart for coronavirus positive cases. The country has so far recorded over 3.2 million COVID-19 infections. More than 135,800 people have died because of the deadly virus. And the numbers are rising every day. More importantly, New York is America’s COVID-19 epicenter. Despite the threats, the US Open has decided to stage the tournament in August this year. Athletes are concerned about their health. But it seems that the US Open believes there’s no danger at all.

US Open will be back

Recently, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio appeared on the CNN TV show, “The Situation Room”. The video was uploaded on Twitter. Speaking about the cancellation of large events and gatherings until September, he said, “Well, it’s all about health and safety first. The data is telling us it is not the time for large gatherings. It means like street fairs. It means big outdoor concerts and it means things like parades… Just like we said, we are not having indoor dining in New York City, because we saw that it’s a really painful reality in Texas, Florida, and other places. You’ve gotta be smart and Doctor Fauci keeps telling us, ‘pay attention to the facts and the facts lead you to the safe solutions’. So we don’t need big events anytime soon.”

When asked about the US Open, Bill said, “Well, look… It is one of the numbers of events, there’s going to be sports activities that we all love but without the audience. So people will be able to watch it on TV and we keep the tradition going. We’re not gonna have crowds on the stands but tennis will be coming back.”

The US Open is scheduled to start on August 31, Monday, and is scheduled to end on September 13, Sunday. In this long 14 days haul, the organizers would hope that no serious consequences arise as a result of the coronavirus.

Danger lies ahead

Earlier this month, in the All-American team Cup tennis competition, 22-year old Frances Tiafoe tested positive for the virus. As a result, he had to quit the tournament. On the other hand, the US Open is a high-profile competition that will see top athletes from around the world competing with each other. In such a scenario, the organizers would hope that situation doesn’t go out of their control.