Source: Getty
The men have to wait almost three weeks longer than the women for their tour to restart. Instead, a tournament in the Masters 1000 category starts in New York.
Tennis players with masks at the airport or on the plane – these images have popped up on social media from everywhere in the past few days. It is the proof: After a 175-day break, the ATP Tour is starting again – and contrary to initial fears, the stars have traveled to New York in large numbers. When men’s tennis is restarted, only the US Open defending champion and world number two Rafael Nadal is voluntarily missing from the top 8. Roger Federer ended his season several months ago after he had to have a second knee operation.
The start is on Saturday with the 1st round of the Masters 1000 tournament from Cincinnati, which has been moved to New York to avoid unnecessary travel. From Monday, August 31st, the second Grand Slam tournament of the year will take place in the narrowly confined bubble in which the players only move between accommodation and tennis facilities, the US Open, after Wimbledon was canceled and the French Open in the Was relocated in autumn.
The joy of the new start
While the women’s field is very thin at the two tournaments in America, there will be no “cheap winners” for the men. The reasons why these traveled to New York in greater numbers than the women can only be speculated. It could be because, in contrast to the WTA Tour, there were no ATP tournaments in Europe on clay in the last two weeks and therefore many players are very eager to return to competitions. Maybe men are simply more willing to take risks than women. The exception is Rafael Nadal, who, despite his self-confident appearance on the pitch, is known as a rather fearful and cautious person.
The last few days have shown that the restart of tennis is fraught with risks and uncertainties. Inside the bladder in New York, the physiotherapist of the two South American players Guido Pella and Hugo Dellien tested positive for the corona virus. Every player and companion who move in the innermost circle of this bubble and who have close contact with one another is tested for the first time on arrival in New York and may not leave their hotel room for 24 hours until the result is available. It will now be seen whether the concept holds up and no other people have become infected. Pella, Dellien and their physio had previously trained together in Florida, a state where cases have risen sharply in recent weeks.
The consequences are severe: the two players are not allowed to compete in the Masters 1000 tournament. If they are negative on further tests, it could be enough for the US Open. The rule also applies during tournaments: Anyone who tests positive or has been in close contact with someone who has tested positive will be removed from the tournament and forfeited their next game – regardless of whether they are to blame for the infection.
Djokovic has a lot to gain
Novak Djokovic summarized why most players take this risk anyway. “It wasn’t an easy decision, but the prospect of being able to compete again fills me with excitement,” said the Serb before leaving for New York. He also has a lot to gain. Djokovic has never made a secret of the fact that he desperately wants to surpass Federer’s record of currently 20 Grand Slam titles. He can’t miss the chance of an 18th triumph in a major. After all, he lost a year ago in Cincinnati (semi-finals) and at the US Open (round of 16) early for his circumstances, so he can now gain many points and thus considerably expand the narrow lead over Nadal. This is important because the 33-year-old could reach Federer’s record of 310 weeks at the top of the world rankings in mid-March next year.
Without Federer and Wawrinka, there are no Swiss at the Masters 1000 tournament and then at the US Open. Instead, the Vaudois is preparing for the Masters 1000 tournament in Rome (from September 14th) and the French Open in Paris (from September 27th) at two events of the second-rate Challenger level in Prague.
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