Nick Kyrgios already said on June 11 that U.S. Open organizers were “selfish with everything going on at the moment” as plans were going ahead for the annual grand slam tournament to take place in New York City as the coronavirus pandemic and daily protests over police reform continued.
And with news on Tuesday that the tournament would be on — both the USTA and New York governor Andrew Cuomo gave it the green light with a list of “extraordinary precautions” that will be taken — Kyrgios tweeted using the same word.
“People that live in the US of course are pushing the Open to go ahead,” he wrote.”‘Selfish’ I’ll get my hazmat suit ready for when I travel from Australia and then have to quarantine for 2 weeks on my return.”
Smh – people that live in the US of course are pushing the Open to go ahead 🤦🏽♂️ ‘Selfish’ I’ll get my hazmat suit ready for when I travel from Australia and then have to quarantine for 2 weeks on my return.
— Nicholas Kyrgios (@NickKyrgios) June 16, 2020
But he isn’t the only one concerned about playing in the tournament. Here are some other pros who have weighed in:
Novak Djokovic
He told Serbian’s RTS, “At the moment the measures in force are very severe….These are pretty extreme conditions and I don’t know if they are sustainable. Most of the players I’ve talked to so far have a rather negative view of the possibility of going.
“Of course,” he continued, “we would all like to return to the courts as soon as possible and play tournaments, the ones before the US Open and the US Open and I hope they will take place but there has to be a compromise between the organizers and the players. We’ll see if it will happen.”
Ash Barty
The world’s No. 1 player told the Associated Press “I have concerns too. I understand the tournaments are eager to run but keeping everyone safe has to be the priority.”
Simona Halep
She told the New York Times this:
“I definitely have strong concerns about going there with those conditions,” she said. “Not only because we’re in the middle of a global pandemic but also because of the risk of travel, potential quarantine and then the changes around the tournament.
“We are used to things operating very differently and it would not be an easy transition at all, particularly on our bodies. I know that financially the tournament and sponsors would like it to run and also that many players are out of jobs right now, but I think it’s a very personal decision we have to make. It’s important to understand that everyone has individual needs and circumstances and we should do what’s best for our personal health and also think long term about our career.”
Rafael Nadal
He told reporters on a call (via the New York Times) earlier this month “Well, is not an ideal situation, honestly no. If you ask me today if I want to travel today to New York to play a tennis tournament, I will say no, I will not.”
“In a couple of months I don’t know how the situation is going to improve,” he added. “Hopefully it’s going to improve the right way, and I’m sure the people who organize the event, the U.S.T.A., want a safe event, same like the French federation.”
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