Six-time Grand Slam tennis champion Boris Becker is calling for August's US Open at Flushing Meadows to be postponed.
This year's French Open and Wimbledon have already been lost to the coronavirus pandemic with Australian Open organisers already planning for the Melbourne Slam being behind closed doors in 2021.
“It’s the only Grand Slam still standing, but New York was pretty much the worst city hit by the virus a couple of weeks ago," 1989 US Open winner Becker told Laureus.com.
"I don't think it would be wise to have a tournament there. Since March there hasn't been any official tennis, so I call this a chance, a unique situation, for all governing bodies to come together.”
This summer will be the first since 1982 where the German has been at Wimbledon as either a player or analyst:
“Wimbledon has been very much my summer for 35 or 40 years. It’s going to leave a big, empty void.
“I think we are having a moment in crisis in tennis. Apart from, let's say, from the top ten, the top 50 and maybe the top 75 men and women, the rest of the professional players need their weekly pay check, they need their prize money. The fact is they can’t play, they can't even go to a club and give lessons because of social distancing.
“Roger Federer started the ball rolling with his splendid idea of joining forces and I think Nadal agrees. Not every top guy agrees, that's fine, but I think Federer, Nadal and Djokovic have a strong following. For Federer to suggest that, speaks for his intelligence and also that he truly cares about the game."
