COVID19 is on the loose at the US Open. Benoit Paire tests positive for the virus, withdraws as French countrymen quarantined.

Just a day before the U.S. Open is scheduled to begin, the 22nd ranked male tennis player in the world has withdrawn from the U.S. Open after testing positive for COVID19.

Photo Credit: si.robi / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)

Benoit Paire, who has been in the USTA's "bubble" for both the recently completed Western & Southern Open and the U.S. Open, was to have begun play on Tuesday.

The USTA announced that a player had tested positive, was asymptomatic, and was withdrawn, but, refused to acknowledge it was Paire. A tournament official later confirmed that it was Paire, but only after saying he was not authorized to publicly announce it

The news that it was Paire was reported by French newspaper L'Equippe. It also reported that his countrymen Richard Gasquet, Adrian Mannarino, Gregoire Barrere, and Edouard Roger Vasselin were asked to self-isolate in their hotel rooms after Paire's positive test. 

Paire was seeded #17 for the Open. He last played at the Western & Southern Open on Aug.22, but, stopped playing due to illness after being down 6-1, 1-0 against Borna Coric.

Coric, you may recall, was one of several players who contracted COVID19 during Novak Djokovic's much criticized Adria Tour event earlier this year. Coric supposedly was asymptomatic.

Paire's positive test is the second one among those in the "bubble" -  the trainer for Argentine player Guido Pella and Bolivia's Hugo Dellien was the other and was the reason why both of those players were dropped from the Western & Southern Open 10 days ago.

These were the only two reported positive test results out of 7000 tests.

Naomi Osaka reverses course and now will play her semi-final match at the Western & Southern Open

Naomi Osaka announced today that she has changed her mind and WILL play her semi-final match at the Western & Southern Open. The match will now be played this Friday.

Photo Credit: Peter Menzel / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)

All Men's and Women's matches at the tournament originally scheduled for Thursday were postponed after Osaka announced yesterday that she was withdrawing. 

In explaining her decision, Osaka said, “As you know, I pulled out of the tournament yesterday in support of racial injustice and continued police violence. I was (and am) ready and prepared to concede the match to my opponent."

“However, after my announcement and lengthy consultation with the WTA and USTA, I have agreed at their request to play on Friday. They offered to postpone all matches until Friday and in my mind that brings more attention to the movement. I want to thank the WTA and the Tournament for their support.”

Naomi Osaka withdraws from semi-finals of Western & Southern Open, protests more black deaths at the hands of out-of-control police

Joining the leads of NBA, WNBA, and MLB players who refused to play their games today in protest of the shooting of Jacob Blake, Naomi Osaka, one of the top draws in women's professional tennis, announced she would not play her semi-final match on Thursday at the Western & Southern Open in New York City.

Photo Credit: Rob Prange, (https://www.flickr.com/photos/186414198@N07/49384180057)

Osaka, formerly ranked no. 1 in the world and currently no. 10, made her announcement on Twitter shortly after winning her quarterfinal match today.

She explained, "As a black woman I feel as though there are much more important matters at hand that need immediate attention, rather than watching me play tennis. I don't expect anything drastic to happen with me not playing, but if I can get the conversation started in a majority white sport I consider that a step in the right direction. Watching the continued genocide of Black people at the hand of the police is honestly making me sick to my stomach."

As a result of her action,  officials from  USTA, the WTA, and the ATP announced that all of Thursday's matches will be postponed until Friday. 

In a joint statement, they said, "As a sport, tennis is collectively taking a stance against racial inequality and social injustice that once again has been thrust to the forefront in the United States. The USTA, ATP tour, and WTA have decided to recognize this moment in time by pausing tournament play."

Speculation has begun as to whether Osaka will change her mind and play Friday following this postponement. Additionally, the delay may impact the start of the U.S. Open, which was scheduled to be held in the same facility starting on Monday.

Are you playing tennis during the pandemic?

Depending upon where you live, you may or may not still be under state, county, or city stay-at-home orders that restrict the types of activities and/or interactions you may have with non-household members during this COVID19 pandemic.

Photo credit: © F.J. & K.C. Maccioli

Here in California, lots and lots of public and private tennis facilities have opened. Some of them restrict play to singles only, while others have seemed to care little at all about any restrictions.

Many facilities require that players follow USTA and CDC guidelines such as maintaining social distancing, using a separate can of balls for each player so that players only put their hands on balls with their name on them, and other restrictions.

Operators of tennis facilities must incorporate certain procedures to ensure cleanliness and to minimize the interaction of players, personnel, and others to minimize the possibility of transmission of the virus.

Personally - I am not playing at all. I've taken a strict interpretation of California's stay-at-home order which restricts tennis to singles and only with household members. (Ace's wife doesn't play tennis.) I'm probably the only person in California that does this, but, it's still there in writing on California's COVID19 website.

Many of my friends have said they had permission from the County to do otherwise, but, really, no one  has been able to show me in writing where their local authority got authorization from the state to do so. 

Case in point - my former tennis club opened its doors to singles and doubles to anyone, telling its members it had the approval from local county authorities to do so. I subsequently made a formal public records request of those same authorities, asking for a copy of any such approval. The county responded to me IN WRITING (I have copies if you want to see them) and said that it NEVER gave my club such approval and specifically told them they had no legal authority to open. 

But, like I said, ol' Ace appears to be the only one here that cares about details. And as far as I can tell, the county did nothing to my former tennis club after I let them know what was going on. I can't link any infections to my former club, but, I can say the county I live in is one of the COVID19 hotspots in California right now.

So, be that as it may, what are you doing? Are you playing tennis again? What is your club or public tennis facility doing? Are people wearing masks when not playing? What social distancing practices are being enforced? Are USTA guidelines being followed? Or is it regular tennis as usual, done the same old way we've been doing it for years?

I'd like to hear from you. Let Ace know in the comments below!

What happens if Novak, Serena, or one of their opponents in the finals tests positive for COVID19 at the U.S. Open?

Here's something to consider. This year's U.S. Open is notable for being played amidst a worldwide pandemic that has killed almost a million people and infected millions more. It will be played without fans and the players will be living in a bubble to minimize the risk of catching the virus.

Serena Williams, Photo Credit: Edwin  Martinez from The Bronx / CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)

Some of the players have already had the virus - Novak Djokovic for instance, during his ill-fated Adria tennis tour series. Gregor Dmitrov and Borna Coric also caught the virus during or before those events, which resulted in the exhibition series being cancelled altogether as a result.

So here we are though, about to start the U.S. Open. Most of the top 10 women in the world will not be playing. Serena Williams will, however, as she continues her chase to match the all-time record of Grand Slam championships held by Margaret Court.

Djokovic will be playing as well, his chances to get closer to the number of Grand Slams won by Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal made easier because neither of them will be playing.

But, consider this: suppose Williams and Djokovich each reach the finals. Then the day before their matches are to be played, their opponents test positive for the virus but show no symptoms.

What happens then? Will the matches proceed? Will the matches be delayed? Will the test results (which sometimes show false positives as well as false negatives) be enough to force the withdrawal of their opponents even though they might assert they feel perfectly fit to play? 

Even more problematic - what happens if the player who tests positive, but, has no symptoms is either Serena or Novak?

There's a lot of money at stake at the U.S. Open. There's also a lot of pressure on the organizers to prove they were correct in holding the tournament in the midst of this pandemic. There's a lot at stake for Djokovic, and Williams especially, as they near the end of their careers.

If either Serena and Novak win by default as a result, their victories, which already will have been labeled with an asterisk because of the number of players who withdrew before the tournament started, then their victories will be made to seem even less worthy of acclaim.

The USTA says that "Any player who tests positive during the competitions will be removed from the tournament and isolated."

Really? What do you think?

If tennis is supposed to be the safest sport to play during the pandemic, then why are USTA and ITF cancelling tournaments?

The United States Tennis Association (USTA) just announced the cancellation of the remaining Adult National Tournaments for Open, Age-Group, and Family Divisions for the rest of 2020. This follows the USTA's cancellation of all national junior tennis events until October 12, 2020.

Photo Credit: USTA (Fair Use) https://www.usta.com/en/home/play/adult-tennis/programs/national/designated-open-sectional-championship-schedule.html?fbclid=IwAR2c5Qg0lw2cwU7nPc2mGtO3b9p4JhyB6pacVQORt7GK0Syh2t30VJFjKDc

Earlier the International Tennis Federation (ITF) announced that the Young Seniors and Super Seniors World Championships will be cancelled until 2021.

Some tennis enthusiasts and doctors have asserted that tennis, particularly singles tennis, is one of the safest activities to do during the COVID19 pandemic. The rationale is that the players are separated by a net and can utilize certain techniques - not serving with the same balls, not shaking hands, etc. - that ensure proper social distancing.

However, no one has ever demonstrated in a scientific setting under controlled conditions (or uncontrolled conditions for that matter) that the novel coronavirus cannot be transmitted by playing tennis. If there is such a study, please provide a comment below with a reference. All reports of which we are aware are opinions from those in the field. They may be very valid opinions, based upon their experience and the best data available, but, they are opinions nonetheless. 

No one has conducted an experiment under controlled conditions that shows a virus cannot be transmitted by two (or four) people playing tennis for an hour or two, or longer.

So, if tennis is so safe, then why are USTA and ITF cancelling tournaments?

Simona Halep, #2 WTA player in the world, drops out of U.S. Open due to health concerns related to COVID19

 The 2020 U.S. Tennis Open suffered another loss of a key player today with the announcement by world #2 Simona Halep that she will skip the tourney and stay in Europe.

Halep just won the Praque Open yesterday. 

Photo Credit: si.robi / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)

Although New York City is no longer considered the hotspot for the novel coronavirus that it was last spring, lots of concerns have been raised because of the players who will be entering New York from other parts of the country and the world that still are or becoming hot spots.

In announcing her decision, Halep said, "After weighing up all the factors involved and with the exceptional circumstances in which we are living, I have decided that I will not travel to New York to play the U.S. Open. I always said I would put my health at the heart of my decision."

Halep joins 5 other of the top 8 ranked women in the world in skipping the tourney, included defending champion and #6 Bianca Andreescu, #1 Ash Barty, #5 Elina Svitolina, #7 Kiki Bertens, and #8 Belinda Bencic.

Another top WTA player drops out of the U.S. Open

Belinda Bencic, a semi-finalist in last year's U.S. Open and currently ranked #8 in the world, announced that she will be withdrawing from this year's tournament. Although she did not specifically say so, it is obvious to everyone that the reason was due to COVID19 concerns.

Belinda Bencic

Photo Credit: Tatiana from Moscow, Russia / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)

Bencic is one of 3 semi-finalists from last year who will not play. The others are #5 Elina Svitolina and #6 Bianca Andreescu, who made history by winning the event last year in her first attempt.

Another one bites the dust - former finalist Kei Nishikori has COVID19, withdraws from U.S. Open tuneup tourney

Former U.S. Open finalist Kei Nishikori, who lost the 2014 U.S. Open title to Marin Cilic and made it to the semi-finals in 2016 and 2018, announced that he has tested positive for COVID19. As a result, he has withdrawn from the upcoming Western & Southern Open. 

Photo Credit: si.robi / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)

Normally held in Cincinnati, that tournament was moved to the site of the U.S. Open in Flushing Meadows, NY this year.

Nishikori said he will give further details next Friday on his plans for the Open. Once ranked as high as #4 in the world, he currently is at #31 and would be seeded at the Open.

It should be noted that Nishikori is based in Florida, which has been a major hotspot for COVID19 infections in the United States.

Prediction - this year's French Open will be cancelled

I don't know if you heard it here first or not, but, if you haven't already, then you have now.

Ace predicts the French Open, which had been postponed until the end of September, will be cancelled in its entirety within 2 weeks.

Photo Credit:  © Yann Caradec

https://www.flickr.com/photos/la_bretagne_a_paris/4634644549

Recent reports out of France have said that there is a rapid and unexpected resurgence of new COVID-19 cases in Paris and Marseilles. As a result, the French government has declared both cities "high risk" coronavirus zones.

With this increase of COVID-19 cases in France, many neighboring countries are reportedly now imposing new restrictions and/or travel bans to or from France, declaring Paris and other French areas "red zones" for travel.  Indeed, France itself has declared Paris a red zone.

The French Open is held in Paris.

French Open officials have previously said the postponed tournament would be held with fans in attendance.

Ace predicts that not only will that not happen, but, the tournament will be scrapped entirely for this year.

Like I said, if you haven't already, you heard it here first.

Another defending champ withdraws from the 2020 U.S Open Tennis Championships

Bianca Andreescu, the Canadian woman who made history by winning the 2019 U.S. Open in her first attempt, announced yesterday that she will not play in this year's tournament. She joins defending Men's champion Rafa Nadal in not entering the tournament because of COVID19 concerns.

Photo Credit: KeithAllisonPhoto.com

"After many discussions with those closest to me, I have made the difficult decision not to return to New York this year," Andreescu said in a social media post. "I have taken this step in order to focus on my match fitness and ensure that I return ready to play at my highest level."

Andreescu has been injured and unable to practice sufficiently or play on the Women's tour since last October. She joins World #1 Ash Barty, #5 Elina Svitolina, and #7 Kiki Bertens on the sidelines, as well as other notables such as Svetlana Kuznetsova and Fiona Ferro, who recently won the first tournament played since the re-opening in Palermo, Italy.

The withdrawals open up opportunities for both Serena Williams and Novak Djokovic to add to their collection of U.S. Open titles. Djokovic is the lone remaining member of Men's tennis' Big 3 with the earlier withdrawal of Nadal and the absence of Roger Federer, who is out following knee surgery.

Addiitonally, former champion Stan Wawrinka, Nick Kyrgios, and Gael Monfils have also withdrawn. 

Questions still remain as to whether the tournament will still proceed as scheduled. The first matches are set to begin on August 31.

Will the U.S. Open be cancelled?

This year's U.S. Open, one of the 4 major tournaments on the professional tennis tour, normally the final Grand Slam of the year, is still on the schedule for play, starting August 31. (The French Open had already re-scheduled its tournament for the end of September.)

Photo Credit: Jeffrey P. Horne at https://flickr.com/photos/45948592@N04/48667665777.

The big question of course is, will it still happen? Three of the sport's biggest stars, defending Men's champion Rafa Nadal, the controversial Nick Kyrgios, and Women's World #1, Ash Barty, have announced they will not enter the tournament because of COVID-19 concerns.

Nadal made his announcement yesterday, saying on Twitter, "After many thoughts I have decided not to play this year’s US Open. The situation is very complicated worldwide, the COVID-19 cases are increasing, it looks like we still don’t have control of it."

"We know that the reduced tennis calendar is barbaric this year after 4 months stopped with no play, I understand and thank for the efforts they are putting in to make it happen. We have just seen the announcement of Madrid not being played this year."

"All my respects to the USTA, the US Open organisers and the ATP for trying to put the event together for the players and the fans around the world through TV."

"This is a decision I never wanted to take but I have decided to follow my heart this time and for the time being I rather not travel."

Barty made her announcement on July 29, saying, "My team and I have decided that we won't be travelling to the US and Western and Southern Open and the US Open this year."

"I love both events so it was a difficult decision but there are still significant risks involved due to COVID-19 and I don't feel comfortable putting my team and I in that position

How many others will follow their lead? Will that matter to the organizers?

What do you think? Comments please.

Why are tennis tournaments being scheduled in Southern California during a pandemic?

Well, many of you know that I play a lot of tennis - well, I used to anyway, until the COVID-19 pandemic struck. I live in California, and, like many of you in other states, our Governor has issued certain Stay-at-home orders in conjunction with the State Public Health Director. These orders have the force of law - despite what many others may claim.

Photo Credit: ©K.C. & F.J. Maccioli

The basic point of a Stay-at-home order during a pandemic is to limit contact with people outside of one's home. To limit interactions with people with whom you do not live in order to minimize the chance that one might become infected or infect someone else. 

Although we are not confined to our homes - we can shop for food, clothing, gasoline, repairs, etc. - certain other activities are restricted.

In California, there are restrictions on Outdoor Recreation. Those restrictions require that we maintain social distancing of at least 6 feet AND restrict our recreational activities to members of our own household. 

Subsequent to that order, California issued more specific requirements for Outdoor Recreation as things began to open up more. Those requirements also say that court sports must be limited to members of one's own household: "...Most organized activities and sports such as basketball, baseball, soccer, and football that are held on park fields, open areas, and courts are not permitted to the extent that they require coaches and athletes who are not from the same household or living unit to be in close proximity, which increases their potential for exposure to COVID-19. Members of the same household may engage in such activities and sports together." 

How does one practice social distancing during a competitive doubles match when a shot is hit down the middle?  

Having said that, I find it amazing that the United States Tennis Association (USTA), private tennis clubs, and other organizations are scheduling tennis tournaments and team tennis leagues throughout Southern California. Even if the above restrictions were not in effect, the fact that the rates of infection are still unacceptably high throughout the state should be reason enough to show more caution! These tournaments and leagues include singles, doubles, and mixed doubles, as well as all age groups, including those most vulnerable to the novel coronavirus - those over 65 years old.

I have asked USTA and other organizations to explain how and why they can ignore the requirements in the California Stay-at-home order. 

USTA and some tennis clubs have refused to answer my questions. Others have said that such events are allowed by their local county or city authorities, however, none has provided any evidence that they have specific approval from California to do so.

A county or local ordinance may not be less stringent than California requirements unless California has granted such approval!

I ask again to all organizations planning these events - what the hell are you doing? Infections in many counties of the state are growing. Hospitals are being overwhelmed again.

Who in California's government said that you can do this?

I'm not holding my breath waiting for an answer.