USTA gets strict with Covid protocol, Murray says players too should get vaccinated

USTA said late on Saturday that the New York City Mayor's office had issued the guidelines on vaccination in the wake of the "continuing evolution of the Delta variant" in the country.

"USTA was informed that the New York City Mayor's office will be mandating proof of Covid-19 vaccination for entrance to Arthur Ashe Stadium during the US Open. Given the continuing evolution of the Delta variant and in keeping with our intention to put the health and safety of our fans first, the USTA will extend the Mayor's requirement to all US Open ticket holders 12-years-old and older.

"Any US Open attendee with tickets to Arthur Ashe Stadium, Louis Armstrong Stadium, The Grandstand, or the grounds of the US Open, will be required to provide proof of at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine to enter the grounds of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center," said the USTA statement.

As per the protocol, all ticket holders will have to bring one of the following as proof of vaccination -- CDC (Centre for Disease Control) Vaccination Card; NYC Vaccination Record or other official immunisation record from within or outside the US; NYC COVID Safe App.

Social media was abuzz with fans questioning USTA on why unvaccinated players were being allowed to compete at the US Open when so many restrictions were being placed on ticket holders.

A fan tweeted, "You shouldn't let djokovic or Tstispas play as they are not vacinated… keep the vacinated players safe and don't (put) people them in jeopardy," while another wrote, "Mandate should apply to players.  So are you removing Djokovich and Tsitsipas from the draw??"

Reportedly, British player Andy Murray was the only one wearing a mask in the US Open's main interview room for a pre-tournament news conference on Saturday. 

"Unlike roughly half the other men and women who will be taking the court when the year's last grand slam tournament begins on Monday, Murray has been vaccinated against Covid-19. He wishes more tennis pros were," reported 7newscom.au.

Murray also made a strong pitch for players to get vaccinated, saying, "The reason why all of us are getting vaccinated is to look out for the wider public. We have a responsibility, as players who are travelling across the world, to look out for everyone else as well.

"I'm happy that I'm vaccinated. I'm hoping that more players choose to have it in the coming months," Murray was quoted as saying by the website.