About 350 players, roughly 90% of the field, are already inside the USTA bubble for the eventGETTY IMAGES
Forty "social distance ambassadors" will monitor the U.S. Open tennis grounds to "make sure players and others are avoiding close contact and wearing face coverings," according to Howard Fendrich of the AP. The USTA yesterday announced that one person, "who is not a player, turned up positive for COVID-19 out of 1,400 tests administered in the controlled environment set up for the U.S. Open and another tennis tournament preceding it at the same site in New York." Two tests are taken 48 hours apart "when a player or member of an entourage arrives at one of the two official hotels or one of the private homes the USTA made available for rent on Long Island." Once the U.S. Open begins, a player testing positive "would be kicked out of the tournament." U.S. Open Tournament Dir Stacey Allaster said that "about 350 players -- roughly 90% of the field -- already are in the 'bubble.'" Fendrich notes Arthur Ashe Stadium locker rooms that normally hold up to 300 people are "limited to 30 at a time." The player dining room's capacity was "reduced from 300 to 50." Sixty-four suites in the main arena, each of which normally generates hundreds of thousands of dollars in annual revenue, are "being assigned as personal lounges to the 32 women and 32 men who are singles seeds for the U.S. Open" (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 8/19).
ENJOY YOUR STAY: On Long Island, Jeff Williams notes two area hotels are the "official COVID-19 bubble residences for players." The Long Island Marriott in Uniondale and the Garden City Hotel "have been employed" by the USTA to "create a controlled environment for the tournaments." Some marquee players such as Serena Williams and Novak Djokovic "will be allowed to stay in private homes but also are required to follow the testing protocols" (NEWSDAY, 8/19).
