Australian Paralympic tennis champion Dylan Alcott has slammed the omission of the wheelchair tournament from the US Open, calling it "disgusting discrimination."
Alcott, who won the 2015 and 2018 wheelchair singles titles at Flushing Meadows and is the reigning doubles champion, said players were not consulted and posed no greater health threat than able-bodied entrants.
With the coronavirus still rife in the United States, the US Open is still going ahead without fans or a qualifying tournament for able-bodied players.
Just got announced that the US Open will go ahead WITHOUT wheelchair tennis.. Players weren't consulted. I thought I did enough to qualify - 2x champion, number 1 in the world. But unfortunately I missed the only thing that mattered, being able to walk. Disgusting discrimination
— Dylan Alcott (@DylanAlcott) June 17, 2020
"Just got announced that the US Open will go ahead WITHOUT wheelchair tennis.. Players weren't consulted," Alcott wrote on Twitter.
"I thought I did enough to qualify -- 2x champion, number 1 in the world. But unfortunately I missed the only thing that mattered, being able to walk. Disgusting discrimination.
"And please do not tell me I am a 'greater risk' because I am disabled. I am disabled yes but that does not make me SICK. I am fitter and healthier than nearly everybody reading this right now. There are no added risks.
"And for sure there are far more important things going on in the world, but that choice should've been up TO ME. It is blatant discrimination for able bodied people to decide on my behalf what I do with my LIFE AND CAREER just because I am disabled. Not good enough @usopen."
The organisers have also eliminated the mixed doubles and juniors competitions while reducing the number of teams in men's and women's doubles events by half.
Tournament director Stacey Allaster said organisers are providing $3.3 million each to the men's ATP Tour and the women's WTA in relief grants and subsidies.
"We had to make the really difficult decision that that extra load of the number of bodies that is in the multiples was outside something we felt we could handle ultimately to mitigate the risk and the health and well-being for all," she told reporters on a video conference.
Melbourne man Alcott has won 10 wheelchair Grand Slam singles titles and took the singles and doubles gold at the 2016 Paralympic Games at Rio.