Novak Djokovic & Co thrown in further doubt over US Open after cancellation of Citi Open
The wait for the return of men's tennis has been prolonged further as the Citi Open in Washington DC, which was supposed to mark the restart of the ATP tour, has been cancelled. The training schedules of Novak Djokovic and other top players have also been thrown into disarray now, as the hardcourt swing is looking increasingly uncertain.
The Citi Open was cancelled because of the rising coronavirus complications and restrictions on international travel. That has cast further doubt on this year's US Open, as the travel restrictions that applied to Washington would also apply to New York.
This news could significantly affect Novak Djokovic, who seemed to have made up his mind to play the US Open and had been practicing on hardcourts. But the Serb now faces the dilemma of whether to continue his hardcourt drills, or change his training plans and switch to preparing for the clay season.
The quarantine rules of the European Union for arrivals from the United States continue to be a major sticking point for the tennis tour. The European Union has currently marked 13 countries to be open to travel for its citizens, but has kept borders shut for the United States.
In other words, all players who travel to the US for the tournaments there in August will have to be in quarantine for two weeks on their return to Europe. And given the crunched schedule, the US Open participants who go deep in New York won't be able to take part in the Madrid and Rome Masters.
No decision has been taken yet on the fate of the Cincinnati Masters (to be played in New York this year) and the US Open. However, the USTA put up a statement earlier today saying they are hopeful of their tournaments going ahead without any hitch.
The organizers of the Citi Open, however, didn't have the luxury of time given their tournament was scheduled to start as early as 14 August. Their statement stressed on the travel restrictions currently in place, and also the need to give the players adequate notice for their planning.
ATP Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi also expressed his regret over the need to cancel the tournament, highlighting that there were circumstances impossible to overcome.
"Unfortunately for the moment there are still large factors at play which are outside of our control. We look forward to the Citi Open returning as one of our signature American events in 2021," Gaudenzi said.
Novak Djokovic faces dilemma on choice of training surface
Novak Djokovic was not among the stars on the Citi Open entry list. To that extent, the cancellation of the DC-based tournament doesn't affect him.
But the fresh doubts over the whole American tennis season, including the US Open, would certainly bother Novak Djokovic.
The World No. 1's plans involved playing the Western & Southern Open before the US Open, subsequent to which he intended to return to clay and prepare for Roland Garros. With the aforementioned schedule in mind, Novak Djokovic had started training on hardcourts, the surface for the American tournaments.
The three-time champion's hopes of participating in the US Open seemed to strengthen when the Spanish Sports Ministry relaxed the 14 day self-isolation rule for athletes. That meant Novak Djokovic would be able to participate in the Madrid Masters immediately after arriving from New York.
But now with the EU's decision, it seems likely that Spain would be forced to impose the quarantine restrictions on all arrivals from the United States.
Moreover, with the cancellation of the Citi Open, the doubts on the fate of US Open are now higher than ever. In such a scenario, Novak Djokovic would likely be contemplating a change in his plans.
It is no secret that the 17-time Slam champion's chances of adding an 18th crown are much higher at the US Open than the French Open. Novak Djokovic would enter the New York Slam as the heavy favorite to win, irrespective of the opposition and the draw.
But at Roland Garros, where the Serb has not reached the final since winning his only title in 2016, Djokovic will only be the third favorite - behind the King of Clay Rafael Nadal and two-time finalist Dominic Thiem. Moreover, his chances will depend to a great extent on the draw he gets.
In a normal situation, if he could play only one of the two Slams, the choice would be a no-brainer for Novak Djokovic. But as things stand, the US Open runs a huge risk of getting cancelled, so the Serb might think of going with the percentages and switch to training on clay.
One positive factor that could make the World No. 1 stick to his original schedule is that the contamination in New York seems to have been brought under control. The state experienced the earliest large-scale spread of the virus in the country, but subsequent measures have gradually managed to contain the spread.
That could work well in favor of both New York-based tournaments, and exceptions could possibly be made in Europe for players arriving from the city.
In short, both options remain open for Novak Djokovic. It will be interesting to see if the Serb goes with the more prudent choice of making the change and training on clay, or the braver decision of sticking to hardcourt until an official update on the cancellation of the US Open arrives.