“It’s precise and strict and we want it all, because if someone deviated, the whole system of measures would not work. The players are professionals, they don’t complain and they can be seen looking forward to the game,” tournament director David Trunda told reporters via video conference. .
The WTA manual has clear rules. Each player can have only one member of the accompaniment, in addition to matches, training, exercises and meals, it is mandatory to wear veils and it is not recommended to walk outside the designated areas (tennis court and hotel).
The US Open tennis reduced the subsidy by four million due to coronavirus. How much will the winners lose?
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That is why the tournament organizers have blocked the entire Vienna House Diplomat hotel in Prague. “Eight floors, one with tennis players, the other with a WTA representative, the other with drivers and the other with paramedics – a doctor, masseurs and physiotherapists,” Trunda described. Some of the Czech tennis players also live in the hotel, but players living in Prague can stay at home.
The journey to Stromovka from the hotel takes a quarter of an hour and cars with players will drive straight to the tennis club, which is otherwise closed to the public. Five hundred towels are ready for the tournament, and in this connection, new hooks on the courts. “The disinfection platoon will disinfect the court and benches after each match before the next match,” Trunda said, adding that even the drinking refrigerators at the courts will change and clean after each match.
The temperature of each person is measured on arrival and departure. The players allegedly also have a special application from the WTA on their mobile phones, where information is recorded.
Ten Czech representatives are in the main competition of the US Open tennis
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“I believe we are well prepared, and even if the situation changes every now and then, it will be worth it,” Trunda said. He has not yet wanted to quantify the costs that make the event more expensive due to the measures. “We have an estimate, but we’ll talk after the tournament.”
The game will start on Saturday, when the qualification program is on, the main competition will start on Monday. Viewers are denied access to the auditorium and will see the performances of Czech players, for example, including Markéta Vondroušová and star Romanian Simona Halepová on television.
If one of the players had a positive test for covid-19, the tournament, like the one in Palermo, should not be jeopardized. The event ends only for the infected person. “Everything is set up so that the tournament can continue,” Trunda confirmed.
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