TennisNH

Johanna Konta unconcerned by prospect of Covid-19 waiver at US Open

09-Aug-2020 20:28:03 | Guardian

• ‘We were already in charge of our own body,’ says British No 1
• Konta driving over 1,000 miles in US to avoid air travel

Johanna Konta has played down concerns related to the waiver players will sign in order to compete at the US Open later this month. The legal waiver appears to absolve the United States Tennis Association of liability “for any risks of loss or personal injury, including serious illness, injury or death … whether caused by the negligence of the NTC or otherwise”.

Although players frequently sign waivers, the tournament organisers had previously rejected the possibility of a Covid-19 specific waiver: “It really doesn’t make a lot of sense to have players sign that because, look, they’re at risk of developing Covid from many different scenarios. It’s highly unlikely it’s going to happen at the US Open,” said Dr Brian Hainline, the chairman of the USTA Medical Advisory Group, during the launch press conference in June.

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