Mailbag: Despite USTA Optimism, 2020 U.S. Open Is Unlikely to Proceed as Planned

The 2020 U.S. Open is set for Aug. 24 through Sept. 13 in New York and the USTA says it has no plans to cancel the Grand Slam tennis tournament. But it seems unlikely it can go on as planned amidst the pandemic.

Again, hope everyone is well, safe, sane and, if possible, home.

Housekeeping:

• Here’s Novak Djokovic’s letter—clearly ratified by Roger and Rafa— to fellow players about the establishment of a relief fund. Pretty damn extraordinary…

• And from winners to errors, Novak Djokovic and his apparent anti-Vaxx stance was disturbing. I’m a little talked out here. We try to accommodate a diversity of view, but I have trouble with open-mindedness of this “issue.” Anti-vaxx is 21st century witchcraft. It’s deeply problematic. It’s deeply selfish. It’s deeply at odds with, you know, facts and science. Jump to the end for an informed reader riff that captures my views here.

• Our most recent podcast guest was Joe Posnanski. And he was, of course, terrific.

• A reminder: Tennis Channel’s live whip-a-round show starts noon ETA on weekdays.

• Roger Federer issues that backboard challenge. Well, we can announce a champion. Cara Black for the win. (Thanks Miles Benson of Hudson, Mass., for reminding). This is really phenomenal. What a vote of confidence for doubles:

• Here’s The Record, SI’s new podcast, starring the great Jack McCallum for the first episode. Next up: Venus and Serena, brought to you by the great Jamie Lisanti.

Onward…..

Incorporating much of your mail (at least before Djokovic went up like Netflix and then down like crude oil) ….let’s start by commending the USTA. So far it has: 

a) turned the grounds of the National Tennis Center into an emergency facility. Which is generous, decent, neighborly and should not go unacknowledged when its non-profit status is challenged.

b) allocated funds to helping the U.S. tennis community that has largely been idled.

c) imposed pay cuts on its executives. This is surely not how Mike Dowse envisioned beginning his term as CEO but so far, he has distinguished himself.

I did, however, find the USTA’s “announcement” about the status of the 2020 U.S. Open to be sorely lacking and, even, disingenuous. And maybe you’re like me. Given the state of the world, my threshold for gloss and insincerity resides at an all-time low. Will the U.S. Open go off as planned? If the USTA had swigged truth serum on the changeover, the release may have gone like this:

“Hope everyone is well. As you likely know, our tennis citadel has been turned into a M.A.S.H. hospital; our kitchens are being used to feed those on the front lines. Yes, the same cooking facilities that are usually being used for Honey Deuces and lobster rolls are now being used for bologna sandwiches and bottled water. New York is still on lockdown. The death toll here is appalling. Elmhurst Hospital—Ground Zero for this—is a few miles away. The idea of 700,000 people communing at a sports event in 120 days seems optimistic at best. The exhibition we quietly invested in, the Laver Cup—which comes AFTER us on the calendar—has already been cancelled for 2020. So has Oktoberfest.

As such, the odds of holding the 2020 U.S. Open at its appointed time and place are—how to put this?—we’re talking Medvedev-slim here.

Don’t get us wrong: we want nothing more than to hold this event. Unlike Wimbledon we don’t have the pandemic policy. And remember, we still have debt to pay from those capital projects. This event is how we fund tennis in this country. But it ain’t looking good.

The “closed door” policy? That ain’t happening. We’re not the NBA or NFL. We make so much money off tickets and suites. And this, by the way, is another reason, we’re pessimistic. “Optics,” is a word we all overuse, the way Kei Nishikori overuses his towel. But imagine the optics of this: we come out of a pandemic that kills thousands; the market down 30% and unemployment hovers in the 25% range; and you are seen luxuriating in a luxury suite. ….You think this is how and where a hedge fund wants to be entertaining clients over Labor Day weekend? No Bueno. You’ll be the post-virus equivalent of the Spring Break kid.

It was suggested that we reschedule the event for a different time and place. One idea in heavy rotation: hold it in November in Indian Wells. But this, too, has its complications, mostly on the broadcast side. Ever since ESPN (comically over-) paid for rights in 2012, we’ve been contorting ourselves to appease these “partners.” All these excruciating pre-match interviews and on-court coaching nonsense? We really don’t want that either, truth to tell. But we pretend we do because we can present it to them as “value add.”

Anyway, ESPN is not down with a November event. In the guts of football season, they are not going to want all that tonnage for tennis. Remember, too, there is no roof in Indian Wells. One untimely rainstorm and we have a Monday final that potentially goes against Monday Night Football. On the other hand, if there is no football this fall, maybe ESPN will think different. We hold out hope…..

Which is really the theme here. You want the U.S. Open? Trust us we do as well. This is our cash cow, our golden goose, our other barnyard analogue for the source of our revenues and good fortune. But we need a creative alternative. Because right now, holding it at the appointed time and in the appointed place are rooted in something other than reality.

Mailbag

Have a question or comment for Jon? Email him at jon_wertheim@yahoo.com or tweet him @jon_wertheim.

Hi Jon, I'm a long, long time reader of the Mailbag, going all the way back to the late 1990s when you used to host chats where any of us could get on with you and ask questions.

I wanted to ask a question on behalf of the two young tennis players in my home who are looking for other tennis things to do in light of the global pandemic and resultant shutdown of everything. I wanted to know what is the best way to send a handwritten letter (not an email) to a pro player the way people used to write letters to celebrities "back in the day?"

I suggested we use this strange time to write brief handwritten letters that could be sent in the mail to their favorite players letting them know how much the boys have enjoyed watching them and how they will be rooting for them when live tennis returns. Their favorite players are Rafa Nadal, Stan Wawrinka, Juan Martin del Potro and Grigor Dimitrov.

My two boys are eight and six and both tennis fanatics. Their tennis friends are all staying at home (so no usual hitting partners) and just sitting watching matches gets old. They are fortunate to have each other, so the public court by our house has been getting a real workout. Writing letters would be one more thing to help them stay connected to their heroes and the sport they love. Can you help a tennis dad out? —Derek Hale, Wichita, Ks.

• I love this. You mean actually compose a letter, and not just tag an athlete on their feed? Your kids are lucky to have you as a father. Our good friends at the ATP—and I assume this holds for the WTA—kindly tell us that if you write to players care of the tour, they will make your letters are received. The HQ address I use:

201 ATP Tour Blvd.
Ponte Vedra Beach, FL 32082

Let me know if that doesn’t work and we can try other options.

For the mountain enshrinement, I would showcase the following: First choice, mostly women: Serena Williams, Steffi Graff, Martina Navratilova, Roger Federer. Second choice, gender equality: Serena Williams, Steffi Graff, Roger Federer, Stefan Edberg. Mostly men choice, to be egalitarian: Roger Federer, Stefan Edberg, Bjorn Borg, Serena Williams.

It may be my Canadian employment insurance bias, but I am concerned about those players who don't have the safety net of earnings in the millions due to victories, sponsorships from businesses, or national/family/friends financial support, etc. If tennis, as you have described, uses the model "you eat what you kill," but there is a prohibition/restriction in the hunting opportunities, how do these players stay in the "business?" COVID-19 is may be an outlier. Unfortunately, it does not eliminate needs nor bills.
—L. Pereira, British Columbia, Canada

• You Canadians and your “empathy” and your “social compact” and your skepticism that “markets cure everything.” (That was a joke.) You’re right. The top, say, 75 players likely have reserves. The players outside, say, 250, weren’t making money anyway and, ironically, might be better off now that they are not incurring the expenses of travel and training. But the players, say, 75-250 are really hurting.

Inasmuch as there’s a silver lining, their expenses have likely, been reduced. But they are not in a position to earn. And, so far, there has not been a meaningful compensation.

Maybe it was asked before but it’s something that I’ve always wondered. In the classic Fed-Nadal 2008 Wimbledon final, why did the Federer and Nadal family and trainers sat in the same box i.e., Fed camp in front row and Nadal camp in back row? Great documentary and keep up the great column! Always enjoyed reading them.
—Regards, Mazrul

• This remains one of my favorite parts of the match. When my kids played Little League, you didn’t sit with the parents of the opposing team. Bumblebees on one side; Wranglers on the other.

Here was the Wimbledon final—this global, intensely personal battle with history and supremacy and millions of dollars hanging in the balance—and the families sat, civilly, together. When Nadal climbed into the section to celebrate, it was Robert Federer who was quick to congratulate him. A few years ago, Wimbledon configured the boxes. There is a now an aisle dividing the camps the two principals. Still, they are seated in close proximity. And it is a lovely touch.

Obviously, a trivial matter given everything, but do you think post-match handshakes will be no more? Maybe only for players who are friends off the court? But, would that be frowned upon for sending the wrong message? Never with the chair umpire? Maybe some substitute gesture? Or maybe it goes away but eventually comes back after a vaccine becomes widely available? Best wishes during these crazy times.
—Troy

• I was thinking this would spell the end of the ballkid-as-fetcher-of-towel-filled-with-human-effluvia. But you’re right: the handshake is, perhaps, imperiled, as well. Perhaps we can find a substitute. The elbow bump or toe tap. What about simply looking the opponent—and officials—in the eye, holding your gaze, and offering kind words of acknowledgement. “You discharged your duties with honor and for that, I am grateful.”

I'm grateful that we still have your column to help see us through the lockdown. Keep up the good work! I like the question about a tennis Mount Rushmore. To me, it's not just a question of the best tennis players ever, but of which tennis players had the most influence in creating he game we love today. My picks are Bill Tilden, Suzanne Lenglen, Jack Kramer and Billie Jean King. While not, perhaps, the greatest, all were great champions. And more than the other stars in the tennis firmament, they changed the way that firmament moved. Lenglen and Tilden were global phenomenons, with popularity extending far beyond the courts. That popularity, and their pioneering forays into professional tennis, helped the game grow to be what it is today. If Lenglen and Tilden compare to Washington and Jefferson as founders, Kramer and King are like Lincoln. Kramer's promotion of professional tennis and his fight to create the Open Era unified the tennis world, and King, along with the rest of the Original Nine, brought to it hope of equal treatment for all. If I could add a fifth name, it would be Althea Gibson. Or Arthur Ashe. Can I have six?
—Eric Lyon, Exton, Pa.

• Sure, take six. There’s a global pandemic going on. Everyone gets a wide berth.

Tennis: Martina, Steffi, Laver, Federer
Basketball: Big O, Russell, LeBron, Michael Jordan + Chamberlain, with Jerry West on the logo.
Baseball: Ruth, Walter Johnson (also with LBJ, Henry Clay and Richard Russell on Senators Rushmore), Cy Young, Jackie Robinson (instead of Cobb)
Sportswriting (periodical division, present company excluded): Red Smith, Damon Runyon, Dick Young, Frank Deford
Sportswriting (books, present company excluded): Ring Lardner, Leonard Koppett, John Thorn (and Pete Palmer), John Feinstein
TV Theme Songs: Patty Duke Show, F Troop (Season 1), Gilligan's Island (original version), Car 54, Where Are You?
As Roy Scheider said, we're gonna need a bigger mountain.
—Muhammad Cohen, Hong Kong

• Now, you’re going to get us thinking of Mount Rushmore movie lines.

• This week’s reader riff, from Yoram, Baltimore by way of Haifa:

Hi Jon: Not one to mix sports with other pursuits, I couldn’t help but shake my head at Novak Djokovic’s recent public declaration; opposed to vaccines, Novak stated that should a COVID-19 vaccine become available, he would be conflicted whether to accept the protection provided by immunization. Athletes, like the rest of us, are entitled to their views and opinions, yet, an athlete of Djokovic’s standing and international status arguably has greater obligations than less recognizable citizens. Wanted or not, Djokovic’s platform and access to the public arena allows him to influence countless people, in ways both good and bad. Successful professional athletes like Djokovic often promote causes and agendas; something most of us accept.

As a physician, I’ve seen firsthand the devastating affect COVID-19 has had on countless patients and healthcare workers. With no approved treatments, a vaccine would be a significant breakthrough, likely saving scores of lives. Shortly after making his statement, Djokovic doubled down reiterating his anti-vaccination stance if return to play requires mandatory vaccination. I imagine Djokovic might say he is principled and feels obligated to share his view; I argue otherwise.