Dominic Thiem: ‘Tough To Imagine’ U.S. Open Without Fans, But ‘It Is How It Is’

Dominic Thiem is looking forward to playing the U.S. Open beginning late next month in New York, but says it’s “tough to imagine” a Grand Slam event without fans.

The Open is slated to run Aug. 31-Sept. 13 without fans or media on the grounds of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

“It’s tough to imagine,” Thiem, ranked No. 3 in the world, said in an interview with CNN Sport. “I think I played 24 Grand Slams now in my career and if you experience it, every day [there are] 50, 60,000 fans on site. With zero fans, it’s tough to imagine. But at the same time, it is how it is and we have to deal with it. Until normal life is coming back, we have to deal with it. I think the main thing is that the [ATP] Tour and the tennis slowly comes back.”

Thiem, the 2019 French Open finalist, said he believes the Open will be “safe.”

“If it’s going to happen, I’m very sure that it’s safe, and I’m also going to play because it’s time that the normal tour is coming back.

It remains unclear if defending champion Rafael Nadal and/or world No. 1 Novak Djokovic will play the Open. Nadal has been practicing on clay in his native Spain and it appears that he may skip the U.S. Open to focus on the French Open, which he has won 12 times and which begins Sept. 27. He’s already committed to the Madrid Open, which begins the day after the U.S. Open final.

Djokovic was filmed training on hardcourts in Serbia and has said he would play the U.S. Open if he can skip the quarantine upon his return to Europe.

Djokovic was spotted in Spain this week hanging out with friends without a mask even after he received criticism for his ill-fated Adria Tour on which four players, including Djokovic and Thiem, tested positive for the virus. Both have since recovered.

“It was obviously a mistake,” Thiem said of the lack of social distancing and the partying that went on during the Adria Tour.

“Everybody that tested positive is healthy again. I think everybody learned from that mistake….It was a mistake. Everybody regrets it of course but it’s time to look in the future.

Thiem feels Djokovic has been unfairly shamed and punished for his role in the Adria Toru.

“Of course it was unfair to him because he didn’t break any law and he didn’t force any player to come there,” Thiem said. “It was everybody, our own decision. The whole event was for a very good cause in general.”