Barty wary of US Open return
Women’s world number one says she needs more information before saying yes
The Australian says it was not just her but her entire team she must consider in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. PHOTO: AFP
CANBERRA:
World number one Ashleigh Barty voiced caution Friday about resuming tennis too soon, saying she needed more information before committing to the US Open in August.
The Australian, who surged to the top of the rankings last year and has stayed there since, said it was not just her but her entire team she must consider in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
"It's exciting that tennis is being talked about again and things are moving in the right direction for us to start competing," she told the Sydney Morning Herald.
"But I'd need to understand all of the information and advice from the WTA and the USTA before making a decision on the US events."
The WTA and ATP schedules have been on ice since March with action not set to resume until the end of July at the earliest.
Wimbledon was cancelled for the first time since World War II, while the French Open has been shifted from May-June to September-October.
A decision about the US Open -- played in New York, which has been a hotbed for the virus -- is yet to be made, but its main draw is scheduled to begin on August 31.
Barty said she was concerned about travel exemptions for her support staff.
While players could be exempt from a 14-day quarantine period, it remains unclear whether that also applies to their teams.
"It's not just me, it's my team I have to consider," she said.
On Thursday, Rafael Nadal insisted tennis should not start again "until the situation is completely safe".
"If you told me to play the US Open today, I would say 'no'," said the Spaniard, who captured a fourth US Open and 19th major in New York last year.
"In a few months, I don't know. I hope so. We have to wait for people to return to normal life. And when it does, wait to see how the virus evolves."
No US Open today for Nadal
Rafael Nadal insisted on Thursday tennis "cannot resume until the situation is completely safe" and if the US Open was being played this week, he wouldn't take part.
World number two Nadal, who captured a fourth US Open and 19th major in New York last year, said the coronavirus pandemic still casts huge doubts over the tennis calendar which has been suspended since mid-March.
"We cannot resume until the situation is completely safe and fair in terms of health in that all players, wherever they come from, can travel and play tournaments in safe conditions," Nadal told reporters in a video conference call.
"If you told me to play the US Open (scheduled for main draw start on August 31) today, I would say 'no'.
"In a few months, I don't know. I hope so. We have to wait for people to return to normal life. And when it does, wait to see how the virus evolves.
"It's very difficult for me to separate what the world is experiencing from my point of view on tennis, that's why I was very pessimistic a few weeks ago."
The ATP and WTA schedules have been on ice since March with action not set to resume until the end of July at the earliest.
Wimbledon was cancelled for the first time since the Second World War while the French Open has been shifted from May/June to September/October.
In normal times, the Roland Garros event would have been deep into its second week by now with Nadal expected to win the Paris trophy for the 13th time.
However, for Nadal, there are far more complex and significant matters to consider even if he could have been within touching distance of Roger Federer's all-time record of 20 Slams.
"In my mind, if the whole world is suffering, if a lot of people are dying because of this pandemic, we cannot imagine organising a huge sporting event with lots of people from around the world," said Nadal, who turned 34 on Wednesday.
World number one Ashleigh Barty voiced caution Friday about resuming tennis too soon, saying she needed more information before committing to the US Open in August.
The Australian, who surged to the top of the rankings last year and has stayed there since, said it was not just her but her entire team she must consider in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
"It's exciting that tennis is being talked about again and things are moving in the right direction for us to start competing," she told the Sydney Morning Herald.
"But I'd need to understand all of the information and advice from the WTA and the USTA before making a decision on the US events."
The WTA and ATP schedules have been on ice since March with action not set to resume until the end of July at the earliest.
Wimbledon was cancelled for the first time since World War II, while the French Open has been shifted from May-June to September-October.
A decision about the US Open -- played in New York, which has been a hotbed for the virus -- is yet to be made, but its main draw is scheduled to begin on August 31.
Barty said she was concerned about travel exemptions for her support staff.
While players could be exempt from a 14-day quarantine period, it remains unclear whether that also applies to their teams.
"It's not just me, it's my team I have to consider," she said.
On Thursday, Rafael Nadal insisted tennis should not start again "until the situation is completely safe".
"If you told me to play the US Open today, I would say 'no'," said the Spaniard, who captured a fourth US Open and 19th major in New York last year.
"In a few months, I don't know. I hope so. We have to wait for people to return to normal life. And when it does, wait to see how the virus evolves."
No US Open today for Nadal
Rafael Nadal insisted on Thursday tennis "cannot resume until the situation is completely safe" and if the US Open was being played this week, he wouldn't take part.
World number two Nadal, who captured a fourth US Open and 19th major in New York last year, said the coronavirus pandemic still casts huge doubts over the tennis calendar which has been suspended since mid-March.
"We cannot resume until the situation is completely safe and fair in terms of health in that all players, wherever they come from, can travel and play tournaments in safe conditions," Nadal told reporters in a video conference call.
"If you told me to play the US Open (scheduled for main draw start on August 31) today, I would say 'no'.
"In a few months, I don't know. I hope so. We have to wait for people to return to normal life. And when it does, wait to see how the virus evolves.
"It's very difficult for me to separate what the world is experiencing from my point of view on tennis, that's why I was very pessimistic a few weeks ago."
The ATP and WTA schedules have been on ice since March with action not set to resume until the end of July at the earliest.
Wimbledon was cancelled for the first time since the Second World War while the French Open has been shifted from May/June to September/October.
In normal times, the Roland Garros event would have been deep into its second week by now with Nadal expected to win the Paris trophy for the 13th time.
However, for Nadal, there are far more complex and significant matters to consider even if he could have been within touching distance of Roger Federer's all-time record of 20 Slams.
"In my mind, if the whole world is suffering, if a lot of people are dying because of this pandemic, we cannot imagine organising a huge sporting event with lots of people from around the world," said Nadal, who turned 34 on Wednesday.