“I think the biggest hit to the tournament would be Serena not playing,” said Tracy Austin, a two-time U.S. Open women’s champion who is now a Tennis Channel analyst. Without a capacity crowd cheering in person, professional sports lose some of their excitement, and maybe their meaning. Would the ideals of the open road hold up in the cruel summer of 2020? has assembled a database of music, audio cues and graphics that teams would ordinarily be using in their own arenas. “This definitely has to be the weakest U.S. Open of the Open era,” Austin said, referring to 1968, when professionals were allowed to play the Grand Slam events, and afterward.

Source: New York Times August 17, 2020 20:48 UTC