Who’s out – What we know so far about the ATP’s August return

Who’s out and who’s in? Here’s what we know about the ATP’s top players in their return to action and whether or not they’ll suit up and play next month.

The 2020 ATP season is set to return August 14th in Washington, DC for the Citi Open. It’ll be a packed month for players; 7 total events (including two Grand Slams) are scheduled from the 14th (Citi Open) to October 11th (the final day of Roland Garros). It leaves the top stars one big question: Which major championship are they going to skip?

Unless they decide the play for 8 weeks straight or skip all hard-court and clay tuneups, we’re going to see two very different Grand Slam events in comparison to what’s been seen in the past. It’s nothing but speculation until the players confirm where they’ll be playing, however, it’s all but certain that we’ll be seeing a less than average bracket for at least one of the two majors.

It’s complete speculation where the game’s top players will suit up and where they won’t. With Roger Federer out for the remainder of the season, that leaves only two of the Big 3 left: Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. With the condensed schedule set to put a huge strain on all players, we might see the ATP’s top two players skip a Grand Slam event this year.

Here’s what we know so far about the ATP’s top stars and where they’ll compete next month – as well as where they might not.

US Open – Djokovic, Nadal both likely to skip

The US Open, amidst the major shuffling of the upcoming schedule, is staying put in its usual timeframe (August 31st-September 13th). This wouldn’t be a big deal, except for the two main problems that surround the event:

1. The insanely packed schedule with a lack of tuneups
2. COVID-19 situation in the United States is a huge risk for international players to take

To begin with the schedule, the US Open typically fell after five hard-court tuneups: Atlanta Open, Rogers Cup (Toronto), Western and Southern Open (DC), Western & Southern Open (Cincinnati), and the Winston-Salem Open.

2020 is going to be very different in comparison. Instead of five tuneup events, only two will be held prior to the August 31st US Open start. August 14th-21st is the Citi Open and immediately following that is the Western & Southern Open (22nd-30th), which will be played in Flushing Meadows instead of its usual venue.

This is an incredibly packed month. Players want to play in as many major tournaments as possible. It’s a more competitive field with bigger payouts. Wins in those events can also be a huge advantage for Grand Slam play.

The surplus of events is looking like it’s set to turn the US Open into the first major championship without the Big 3 since the 1999 Australian Open. While Djokovic has been seen practicing on hard courts recently, he’s still unsure on his participation due to his commitment to playing in all three of the major clay tournaments.

"“I still don’t know if I will play at the US Open. I certainly don’t play Washington, Cincinnati in the plan. Participation in Garros is safe for now, and Madrid and Rome are also planned,” Djokovic said recently to Zurnal."

Nadal, on the other hand, looks to be prepping for his usual domination on clay and will subsequentially not be defending his 2019 US Open title. Nadal was recently seen practicing hard on clay, and with the hard-court season only a month away, it looks like the World #2 will be aiming for his 13th Roland Garros title instead of his 4th in New York.

This came alongside Madrid Open tournament director Feliciano Lopez’s confirmation that Nadal will be playing the tournament in September.

"“I talked to my friend Rafael Nadal and he has confirmed his participation in Madrid next September,” Lopez confirmed last week."

Roland Garros – Top stars unite as Europe’s COVID-19 prove much safer than US

On the subject of the growing COVID-19 situation across the world, it’s highly possible that the 3.48 million positive tests in the United States have turned a good amount of international ATP players away from playing in any of the three tournaments set to begin next month.

Kyrgios was one of many who are at least unsure about traveling for the events (with the Australian being at the very end of the spectrum). Although the virus conditions have greatly improved in the past month, making the trip across the world and into multiple airports might just be too big of a risk for the health of players.

Tennis is a European-dominated sport and almost none of them have gone anywhere near North America during any point of the season shutdown. While some will still make the trip, most won’t. Roland Garros will be a major much like years past if the European players stay behind the prepare for the clay swing.

As of now, the hardcourt swing will be US-dominated and could result in a surprising major champion this year. Only Stefanos Tsitsias and Daniil Medvedev have confirmed their participation in the US swing (at the Citi Open) so far. One of them could be holding their first Grand Slam Championship come September 13th.

If the young players all compete in the US swing, it’ll leave a major gap at Roland Garros. Nothing regarding the virus protocols and regulations for players in the US has been released but given the current landscape, the players might be there for longer than expected.

Whatever the case, the ATP season return is going to be an interesting one. A major championship without the Big 3 for the first time in 21 years and a possible young gun winning their first major title could both be in play this season. Buckle up.