Rohan Bopanna is getting used to the sight of huge open spaces, formerly spectator zones, at New York's Flushing Meadows. The tour has resumed, after a 174-day suspension with the ATP 1000 Cincinnati Open and the 40-year-old Indian doubles player is settling into the routine of staying within the bubble setup, and getting himself tested for Covid-19 every four days at his hotel lobby.
Bopanna and his Canadian partner Denis Shapovalov will take on fifth seeds Horacio Zeballos and Marcel Granollers in their first-round match, in the August 22-28 tournament.
"Of course, the biggest difference will be playing without fans," Bopanna, the only Indian at the tournament, told ESPN. "What now remains is just open space all around. Fan areas are now hospitality zones for players, the center court suites for fans have now been converted into individual player locker rooms for the top singles guys. With this kind of space, social distancing almost follows naturally. You don't even have to try too hard."
Usually held in Mason, Ohio, the tournament has been shifted to New York this year as it falls just ahead of the US Open and would help players cut down on travel. Bopanna will be playing the US Open (August 31-September 13) next, followed by the Rome Masters (September 14-21) and the French Open (September 27-October 11).
For Bopanna, the decision to fly out of India and play tournaments in US and Europe at this juncture was preceded by obvious concerns. "We read media reports about how serious the pandemic situation is in US while the tournament organisers kept assuring that all precautions would be in place. I was unsure on what to do. But then, you know I thought to myself that after five months here's an opportunity to play. It's what we train for and what we do for a living. It's like seeing your job suddenly open up. You want to be there when it happens."
The USTA, helming the organisation of the New York events, has seen a few Covid-19 cases among visiting players. Last week, 2014 US Open runner up Kei Nishikori tested positive in Florida following which he withdrew from the Cincinnati Open. He has since tested positive a second time. In addition, two players within the US Open bubble caught the virus after coming into contact with a non-player who had tested positive. They were dropped from the ATP 1000 event and have been sent into quarantine. "The bubble we have here is really strict and apart from the tennis court and hotel you can't go anywhere," said Bopanna. "In regular tournaments, I'd go out and explore restaurants but this time it's just the hotel room, lobby and court. But this has to be done for everyone to be safe."
The ATP has, with its 22-month cycle (March 2019-Dec 2020), also eased players of the pressure of defending strong results. In effect, players will not drop ranking points if they don't return to competitions this year. "I think that's a huge relief for everyone," said Bopanna. "There is no pressure on anyone to travel and come and play. I think that's the beauty of sport. We're all doing our own thing."
Despite the pandemic, the doubles draw at the event is stacked. It includes defending champions Ivan Dodig-Filip Polasek, top seeds Juan Sebastian Cabal-Robert Farah, and Lukasz Kubot-Marcelo Melo, among others. World No. 1 Novak Djokovic too will be on double duty, partnering fellow Serbian Filip Krajinovic.
"Yeah, all the guys who were at the Australian Open are largely here too so competition is definitely going to be tough. The consolation is everyone is returning after a break, so we're all going to be in the same boat, equally rusty. But just to be back in a tournament still feels good. It's nice to see my coach (Scott Davidoff) and physio (Gaurang Shukla) after five months and to be back together with the tennis family. You do have to sometimes take a second look though to be able to tell the faces behind the masks."