You Can’t Have a Grand Slam Be a National Championship: Serena Williams’ Coach on the US Open 2020

After months of speculation, it was finally confirmed that the US Open would be taking place. However, the logistics and execution of the event will be a bit complicated given the coronavirus pandemic. There are still many unanswered questions, something Serena Williams’ coach Patrick Mouratoglou addressed in a recent interview.

Patrick Mouratoglou on the 2020 US Open

In a recent interview with Reuters, Patrick Mouratoglou had quite a few things to say about the US Open. He started off by speaking about a major concern that players have – a mandatory quarantine period when they go to Europe for other events. He said,

“If there is a quarantine it will mean that players cannot play Madrid and Rome. But if they can’t play Madrid and Rome and have to be quarantined that would mean they’re sitting in an apartment for two weeks right before playing a Grand Slam on clay which sounds a bit crazy.”

He further went on to say,

“If the USTA is able to give proper answers to those questions, and I understand that it’s difficult, maybe the U.S. Open will have a higher chance to be held. What about South Americans? Are they now allowed to travel or not? What about the Australians? You can’t have a Grand Slam which is the National U.S. championships, right? So, we have to know.”

The USTA is probably going to answer these questions soon and once they are answered, we might see many players decide to play the event. This will be in addition to players who have already confirmed their participation, like Serena Williams.

She has also decided to play at the inaugural Top Seed Open in Kentucky in preparation for the US Open. After coming close to winning her 24th Grand Slam several times, Serena will no doubt be hoping to see her dream come true this year.

Source: Reuters