Highly unlikely U.S. Open would be held without fans - USTA head

FILE PHOTO: Sept 8, 2019; Flushing, NY, USA; Rafael Nadal of Spain celebrates with the championship trophy after beating Daniil Medvedev of Russia in the men’s singles final on day fourteen of the 2019 U.S. Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports/

(Reuters) - The organisers of the U.S. Open said on Thursday a decision on whether to hold the Grand Slam this year amid the coronavirus outbreak will be made in June, and playing it without fans is on the table but highly unlikely.

The U.S. Open, which is scheduled to run from Aug. 31 to Sept. 13, is both the largest and loudest of the four Grand Slam events on the tennis calendar and United States Tennis Association (USTA) chief executive Mike Dowse does not anticipate that changing.