CHENNAI: On the day, the ATP Tour had its first main draw match since the first week of March, the sport had yet more setbacks as it plots its way amid the coronavirus pandemic. Fresh from winning the Prague Open, Simona Halep announced that she would be skipping the US Open, the year's first Major.
"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 @usopen," she wrote on social media.
"I always said I would put my health at the heart of my decision and I therefore prefer to stay and train in Europe. I know the @usta and @WTA have worked tirelessly to put on a safe event and I wish everyone there a successful tournament," he added.
The World No 2's absence further dilutes what was already a weak field because of the pandemic. Sample this -- six of the top 10 women's players (and 18 of the top 100), will not be in attendance this year as they prefer to avoid the country because of the rising cases, the lack of clarity over quarantine rules after exiting the US.
Serena Williams, chasing Margaret Court's milestne of most Slam wins, will be there at her home Slam but most of the recent Major winners will be conspicuous by their absence. Defending champion Bianca Andreescu, Halep, who won last year's Wimbledon title and Ash Barty, the World No 1 and reigning French Open winner have all opted to sit out.
It's not so bad among the men, with nine out of the top 100 (and five out of the top 20 missing it for various reasons) but the withdrawals are still significant. This is even before you take into account that there will be no mixed doubles, doubles qualifiers as well as a reduced main draw size in both the doubles events.
Some, like Australian John Millman, who has made the trip across the Atlantic, is impressed with what the US Tennis Association (USTA) have done in order to organise the US Open series (Western and Southern Open followed by the US Open).
"First impressions of the US Open serues are positive. It's noticeable how hard the USTA has worked to create a comfortable and safe environment. I'm pumped to be back playing. Top effort from the entire USTA team," he tweeted
For the next month, the wider sporting world will be watching if tennis can be a safe environment for the players and the staff working the two meets -- the Western & Southern Open (a Masters event) followed by the US Open.
Some of the cynicism around the restarting of tennis can be attributed to Novak Djokovic's ill-fated Adria Tour. Multiple people, including Djokovic himself, got infected because of it. Others who were involved in the Tour and later tested negative jetted off to take part in more exhibition events. One of the players involved said he would isolate but was out partying. It wasn't a good look for the sport.
If the USTA is able to achieve what they have set out to do on the tin, it will also be a small victory for the tennis calendar. It's been devastated by the pandemic but the ATP -- which controls the men's tour -- have said they will play 11 more events, including the French Open, after the US Open. The WTA, which controls the women's events, have indicated they can schedule nine more events, including the French Open.
A successful conduct of the US Open, in coronavirus hit New York, will go a long way in assuaging players' fears.
If it's going to be a big month for tennis, other sporting bodies too will be watching how and whether USTA pulls this off. For the US Open is going to be one of the biggest (in terms of participants and their entourage) standalone sporting events to be scheduled in a bio-bubble setting.