Roger Federer just turned 40 years old a few months ago. Federer shut down his 2021 season after Wimbledon to have a third surgical procedure on his right knee. As the tennis world and his many fans await his next move on the court, they can at least savor for the time being a new biography that is genuinely worthy of the all-time great.
Tennis made global headlines outside the sports page, but not for the most ideal of reasons.
World No. 1 Novak Djokovic revealed today that both he and his wife Jelena tested positive for the coronavirus after their participation at the recent Adria Tour exhibition event. This is the same event where Grigor Dimitrov, Borna Coric, Viktor Troicki and his pregnant wife, and several others have also tested positive for the virus.
June 17, 2020 – Katrina Adams, USTA immediate past President and Board Member, Mike Dowse, USTA Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director, Stacey Allaster, US Open Tournament Director and USTA Chief Executive, Professional Tennis and Dr. Brian Hainline, Chairman of the USTA Medical Advisory Group and USTA Board Member during the announcement that the 2020 US Open and 2020 Western & Southern Open will be held at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, New York this summer. (Photo credit: Jen Pottheiser/USTA)
“The US Open is open.”
That was the final sentence said at today’s press conference announcing that the US Open will indeed be held on its scheduled dates of August 24 – September 13, 2020. In addition, today saw both the ATP, WTA, and ITF announce a revised schedule of their events, including Roland Garros (French Open) later this year. The news-filled day showcased that many in professional tennis are trying to salvage the 2020 season, even if not everyone agrees on how it should be done, or even if it should be done at all.
One only had to look to Canada, specifically the Canadian Open, in determining who would enjoy success at this year’s US Open. That, and also pay attention to the summer hard court swing that featured one player showing up in every single final. This year’s final major in New York saw several breakthrough performances, but it also highlighted that the pro game on both tours is undergoing a major shift from the current hierarchy of stars to the future.
I was traveling last week so this post is a tad late. But I did want to briefly write about the surprise run of Svetlana Kuznetsova to the Cincinnati final last week. Surprises in the veteran Russian’s career are nothing new. But this latest unexpected chapter could not have come at a better time as the former champion heads into next week’s US Open.
Adjusting the Net