The Season That Came Close to an End

The U.S. Open looked different this year, yes there was a massive quarantine and increasing cases of Covid-19, yet you almost missed out on an important aspect of the tournament… the men and women in the wheelchair divisions.

Early in the season, the United States Tennis Association (USTA) was trying their best to figure out how to keep the tournament safely. With the pandemic, they decided to cut a lot of players to keep up with social distancing requirements. They had made the decision to cut many smaller tournaments including the wheelchair divisions as a safety precaution to limit the spread of the virus. 

Although this news was devastating, the worst part is that the players in the wheelchair division found this out on social media, and not straight from the USTA. Ally Puccio found this to be “an unfair and disappointing way of breaking the news.”

Andy Murray, the winner of the 2012 men’s singles tournament at The U.S. Open, used his social media platform to try and bring awareness to this situation. Many of the players were thankful for Murray’s actions. They even said, “there’s not many players out there who would have done that, so we have to thank him, because he had the courage to support us and back us”. 

Having a successful, well known player such as Andy Murray boosted attention to this cutback. Abby Lindkvist explained this to be “a great way for the public to side with allowing the continuation of the wheelchair tournaments.” 

Because of their unending persistence, the USTA allowed the men and women in the wheelchair tournament to compete. Amanda Quenneville stated that, “even with the uncertainty of the season, it was clear that the players would do anything it takes to be included.”

Although the circumstances regarding Covid-19 have caused obstacles for many events such as tennis, the men and women in the wheelchair divisions were determined to play even though they were cutback in the beginning. This shows their love for the sport, and how they are willing to do anything in return to play the game they love.