After five months of interruption due to the Covid-19 health crisis, the WTA women's circuit was finally able to restart in Palermo at the beginning of the month. After a long series of unofficial competitions, the Cincinnati Masters 1000 presents itself as the first official event on the men's circuit, before the US Open (August 31 to September 13).
In the sanitary bubble
Despite the persistence of the Covid-19 epidemic across the Atlantic, the second kickoff of the 2020 season will be given this Thursday, in New York, for the qualifications of the Masters 1000 ... in Cincinnati. This event, which usually takes place in Ohio, has been exceptionally relocated. The big picture will start on Saturday. Like the US Open, the men's and women's tournaments will take place simultaneously in a health bubble, like the one the NBA has set up at Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. With draconian security conditions. Organizer, the American federation has issued a 14-page protocol which details the measures to be followed. For example, if a player or one of his guests tests positive for Covid-19 during the tournament, he will be excluded. If he goes out without permission, he will also be excluded. Participants are checked into one of the two requisitioned hotels 30 minutes from the site. For now, 1,400 tests have been carried out since August 13 in the bubble. For only one positive case, which is neither a player nor a player. So far, so good…
A rehearsal behind closed doors
Like the US Open, the Cincinnati Masters 1000 will be played behind closed doors. This made the former finalist of the 1988 French Opens Henri Leconte, interviewed by Le Figaro, say : “It's dramatic for the image of tennis. I can not even imagine a US Open in this context ... When you know all the folklore that there is in this tournament with such a special atmosphere ... It is the only Grand Slam where you do not hear sometimes not even the sound of the ball coming out of the racket, there is such a constant hubbub. There may be, as with football, animations and sound backgrounds to hide the absence of spectators, but hey, it will remain a very, very special US Open. » And, before, a new Masters 1000.
The depopulated female table
If they were assured that they would not have quarantine to observe on their return to Europe, many players are still skipping this mini American tour. The female table is particularly deserted by the members of the top 10 , since six of them are lacking. Among them, the last champion of the US Open: the Canadian Bianca Andreescu (6th), injured in a knee. The others gave up because of the health context. World number one Ashleigh Barty, number two Simona Halep, Elina Svitolina (number 5), Kiki Bertens (number 7) and Belinda Bencic (number 8) are “boycotting” the double date in New York. But for the organizers and the broadcasters (ESPN and Tennis Channel), the honor is except that the star Serena Williams and the new US star Sofia Kenin, winner of the Australian Open in January, are in New York. to link the two tournaments. The returning Kim Clijsters, a former three-time winner of the US Open (2005, 2009, 2010), who returned to the circuit in February after more than seven years of absence, is also in the game.
Fewer absent men
Even if for the resumption of the circuit, the legends Rafael Nadal (remained in Europe) and Roger Federer (injured) are missing and will not play in the wake of the US Open, most of the top names are there. The world number Novak Djokovic, who contracted the coronavirus in early July on the sidelines of a charity tournament organized in the Balkans, is present on the courts of Flushing Meadows, along with six other members of the Top 10 including the Austrian Dominic Thiem and the Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas. The Russian Daniil Medvedev (N.5) will also be in New York to defend a title won last year at the Cincinnati Central, before going to Flushing Meadows where he was a brilliant finalist (beaten in the final in five sets by Nadal). Gaël Monfils (n ° 9), Stan Wawrinka (n ° 17) or Nick Kyrgios (n ° 40) are on the other hand with absent subscribers.
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