French Open May Move A Week Later In September; US Open November At Indian Wells?

I think that it’s important not to be too pessimistic.

Yes, the situation is horrible, there are hundred of thousands of dead people. No question about it. But:

A) There is a point the cure is worse than the disease. The economic damage is already beyond belief. If we continue like that to save a few more elder lives without tennis and other sports for year(s), it’s Federer, Nadal, Murray in retirement without even playing again and then you can literally cross tennis forever…

B) A vaccine is coming. Some human trials have even already started. I expect something available within three-four months. Yes, it’s going to be a giant mess: half-working vaccine, shortage, price super high and so on. Exactly what we are seeing for masks and PCR / serological tests today. But it’s around the corner. There is too much at stake because of point A) above to wait forever. And if Djokovic doesn’t want a vaccine, too bad for him. That would be his choice.

As for Craig Tiley, this guy is an A… with a capital A. Remember that 5 months ago, the guy was ready to send all the players in the middle of fire because he had no insurance. And now he is giving moral lessons to the FFT and others. I suggest that the Australian federation splits its 2020 profits in 3 and give 2/3 to US Open and the French. Wimbledon has insurance. Let’s see how he reacts to that idea… This is what would have happened if the four slams were unified.

May 7th, 2020 at 2:24 am

People want to take a ‘safe” vaccine, not a half -working vaccine. I don’t think there will be a “safe” one until next year.

May 7th, 2020 at 1:50 pm

We never have come up with a vaccine for AIDs after 40 years. Some viruses are resolvable by vaccine, others are not. Flu is the devil because it is highly mutagenic and the yearly vaccine is based only on “best guess” of what that season’s flu will be. Wuhan virus is highly mutagenic, like flu, and we may only achieve partial herd immunity each year with the new SARs virus.
One way to finesse this is to use masks to create effective herd immunity. It is the reason why Asia never developed the raging number of cases and deaths as Europe and America had. When news of Wuhan was finally known to other Asian nations, with a very scary death rate, all the effective masks hanging on coat racks or in drawers in Asia came out – the ones they already stockpiled for flu season.
The Western governments lied to their citizens to cover up the lack of N95 or above masks and the ability of the West to make 100s of millions a month anymore after that industry mostly went to China, a lack of hospital ability to sterilize and reuse masks.
Part of the lie was to treat an airborne disease as if it was cholera a GI disease that comes from contaminated things people drink or eat or put in their mouths with dirty hands. So lave sus manos and social distancing became the substitute for us emulating Asians safely packing into offices, packed mass transit & streets wearing masks.
Airplanes and buildings can be retrofitted with HEPA filters. Filters and masks don’t need to 100% filter out virus to be effective. You need a certain “loading” of virus into your body to get past sentinel immune defenses and establish itself. Masks mean 20 times less virus gets into you on it’s main path – airborne – and even less escapes when you breathe, cough, or sneeze out if you are infected. It’s de facto herd immunity.
Tennis? Assume no miracle vaccine. If we get one, fine. Tennis players can adapt, even with no vaccine, if they charter jets to fly teams and officials to Indian Wells to play the USO there vs. Pandemic City (Raccoon City?).. The Cincinnati Open is not in the center of a big city as well. And after years and years of whining that the ATP Championships was “unfair to him” being hardcourt indoors (Rafa has a horrible indoors record) he may finally get the ATP Top 8 moved to clay in Latin America.

May 7th, 2020 at 7:01 pm

@Django, I couldn’t believe that he was serious to tell us we should get jabbed with half-working vaccines, though I agree about sleazy Craig Tiley.
Would he be prepared to give half-working vaccine to his kids.
If there is no fully tested and properly approved vaccine they have two options, take a risk and play and wait for the vaccine or not to play until vaccine is ready.
On what legal and moral ground you can force any human being to get one half-working vaccines?

Here is the case with rugby league competition that is resuming on 28. of May, about bloody time.
Few players flatly refused to get flu vaccines before the competition is due to resume.
NRL tried to make it obligatory, but now they are backing off, they will accept the players with explanations (any reason players give them why they don’t want to get flu vaccines is good reason).

I personally think they (officials) are testing the ground (flu vaccines were not obligatory before) for what is to come, obligatory vaccination as it has been requested by those “philanthropists”, which is the new word for the rulers of the World, you know them, don’t you?

May 7th, 2020 at 8:13 pm

CF1,
I just heard here that coronavirus that arrived in America is so deadly for a reason you just explained, by the time it arrived in America virus already mutated few times.
Virus left China for Europe and from Europe arrived in America.
If the virus is that flexible it’ll be hard to get vaccines, just as you explained for a flu viruses, you get it for one or two flues and even that one is not 100% protection, plus there are other flu viruses that are floating around you.
My friend went yesterday for one of those and asked his GP should he get one, his answer was this “You should tell me if you want one and not to ask me” and then told him what I said before, at the end he got one, he is scared from everything, he is rubbing sanitisers on his skin so often and so much that his skin absorbed it so much that when he pee it cleans the toilet.

May 7th, 2020 at 8:34 pm

It’s extremely rare to have life-threatening side effects for a vaccine. Perhaps, it can happen ; you can also hit by a car when crossing the road.

The major risk of a vaccine is that it misses its target and has no effect – especially if the virus mutates. So far, all scientific reports say that Coronavirus has not substantially mutated at all.

And read today’s news:

“Luigi Aurisicchio, CEO of Takis, the firm developing the medication, said that a coronavirus candidate vaccine has neutralised the virus in human cells for the first time”.

https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/world/italian-researchers-claim-worlds-first-coronavirus-vaccine-report-81639

Is this the one? Probably not. But you are going to read dozens of similar headlines during all summer.

You will see some people willing to get those “working” vaccines during Autumn especially because there is the risk of a potential second seasonal wave. Some other people will prefer to wait for the perfect antidote.

Personally, if there is a “half-working” vaccine by September, not 100% sure it can protect you but some people seem to be protected, I would accept to get it. I understand that other people will not accept that. It’s a question how you “read” the risk and such perception is different for everyone.

May 7th, 2020 at 8:42 pm

China had a three months head start to make one and they haven’t made it and they have plenty of human “volunteers” to test the vaccine on.
China has quite a few high tech “laboratories” financed by BG and GS and American taxpayers, they don’t lack resources, on the contrary.
I am absolutely sure they would be happy to make it and sell it to the rest of the world if it is only as easy as making fake Rolex.

May 7th, 2020 at 9:19 pm

USO @ IW? You got my vote!

May 9th, 2020 at 10:11 am

Not all flu jags are equal. Because my hubbie had cancer on and off for several years I had to take the flu jag for years. After he died (4 years ago) my name was on the local Dr.’s list so I automatically continued) – but oddly enuf this year it made me ill (December 2019) – approx. when C-19 arrived in the UK and was virtually ignored. It gives me lots to think about. I currently have a face-mask/gloves and a thermometer – but I think my main benefit is that no-one in my village has been affected. I think the main problem is the Virus is mutating in the UK.

Tennis: Not sure what it is exactly but Andy Murray is conjuring up a virtual tennis show – not clear yet what exactly it is.
Cheers to all of you.

May 10th, 2020 at 1:51 pm

As my husband had on-off cancer for the last 20 years of his life, I was registered for a yearly flu jag to reduce any transfer of infection. After he died I was obviously pretty “low” and remained on the list. This year, (Dec.) however, the flu jag made me ill – in retrospect I think I had Cv-19 symptoms before knowing anything about it. So I agree with Wog Boy and others that it can mutate – and perhaps its source is the so-called winter flu which alters every year.??

May 12th, 2020 at 3:14 pm

I think it might be a good idea to start moving the venues of the US Open around in any case…. I imagine the people at Flushing wouldn’t agree but wouldn;t it be great to take the biggest tournament in the US from state to state? Would also mix it up in terms of climate, surface etc etc

May 14th, 2020 at 4:17 pm

About moving the US Open: later in the year, even a couple of weeks, would be great. NYC in early September is infernal, for the players and the spectators.

May 22nd, 2020 at 12:04 pm