The US Open cannot be national leagues, says Mouratoglou

(Reuters) – Serena Williams’ longtime coach Patrick Mouratoglou believes that the US Open should not be transformed into national leagues for the United States and says that the organizers must address player health problems within the next week.

The Grand Slam is slated to start without spectators on August 31 and the United States Tennis Association (USTA) is planning to create a rigid biosecurity “bubble” around it to protect it from the new coronavirus.

However, concerns remain that players may have to undergo a mandatory quarantine on their return to Europe, forcing them to miss high-profile tournaments in Madrid and Rome ahead of the French Open in late September.

“If there is a quarantine, players will not be able to play in Madrid and Rome,” Frenchman Mouratoglou told Reuters.

“But if they can’t play in Madrid and Rome and they have to be quarantined, that would mean they are sitting in an apartment for two weeks just before playing a Grand Slam on clay that sounds a little crazy.”

While the United States has the largest number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the world, New York appears to have improved virus management and reported fewer than 5,000 new cases last week.

QUESTIONS ANSWERS

Mouratoglou, who is organizing the second edition of the innovative Ultimate Tennis Showdown (UTS) show at his Nice academy, said he was very positive initially about the prospects for the US Open.

“Now I see that the situation in New York is improving, much better,” he said during a video interview. “But at the same time I think it is very tied to travel restrictions …

“There are many questions that are not answered for me at the moment. And this really questions the US Open.

“If the USTA (United States Tennis Association) is able to give adequate answers to these questions and I understand that it is difficult, perhaps the US Open will have a better chance of being held.

“What about South Americans? Are they now allowed to travel or not? And the Australians? You can’t have a Grand Slam that’s the American national championship, right? So, we need to know. ”

Williams has confirmed that she will play at the US Open and will also be the star of Lexington’s inaugural Top Seed Open, which will serve as warm-up for the Grand Slam.

Mouratoglou, who has been working with Williams since 2012, said the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion is unclear about her participation in Europe due to travel uncertainty.

“Serena is in the same situation as probably all the people who will play at the US Open,” said Mouratoglou, reiterating that Williams was still focused on winning more Slams and the Tokyo Olympics next year.

“Technically I don’t know if a player who has been to the United States and who Serena lives there is able to travel around Europe without restrictions.

“So again this question must be answered for all players, including Serena. If Serena wants to play in Europe and surely wants to play in Europe, now she needs to know if she can. ”