US Open tennis still set for Aug. 31 start: organizers

US Open organizers still plan to host the Grand Slam event starting August 31 in New York, the US Tennis Association said Wednesday in the wake of Wimbledon being cancelled.

Even as indoor courts at the National Tennis center were being used as a makeshift coronavirus hospital facility, the US Tennis Association said it will monitor the pandemic and alter plans as needed.

"At this time, the USTA still plans to host the US Open as scheduled, and we continue to hone plans to stage the tournament," the USTA said in a statement.

"The USTA is carefully monitoring the rapidly changing environment surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, and is preparing for all contingencies."

New York remains the hardest-hit area in America, turning tennis courts into a hospital zone and the Louis Armstrong Stadium into a meal assembly area for patients, volunteers and area schoolkids.

The USTA is following the advice of health experts in making its next moves.

"We also rely on the USTA's medical advisory group .