World’s ace Barty and Nadal wary of US Open return in August

World number one Ashleigh Barty voiced caution on 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 Aug. 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.”

The world number two, who won his fourth US Open and 19th Grand Slam at last year’s event, said he remained convinced the COVID-19 pandemic still casts huge doubts over the tennis calendar, reports Xinhua news agency.

“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.

The US Open remains on schedule but there are doubts over whether or not it should take place, with New York being the epicenter of the COVID-19 crisis in the US.

Charity tourney with fans

Prague will host a women’s charity Tennis tournament with an audience next week, pitting two six-member teams led by Karolina Pliskova and Petra Kvitova, organisers said on Friday.

“Don’t waste the chance to watch this unique team contest,” read the tournament’s Facebook page in a bid to attract fans before ticket sales kicked off on Friday afternoon.

The June 13-15 tournament will benefit from the Czech government’s decision to allow events with up to 500 people as of June 8 within an extensive easing of measures taken in March to stem the coronavirus spread.

“We will begin with fewer people. I suppose we will gradually increase the number,” tournament promoter Tomas Petera told the Czech news agency CTK.

Pliskova’s team will comprise her sister Kristyna, Marketa Vondrousova, Karolina Muchova, Tereza Martincova and junior Nikola Bartunkova.

Agencies