New Delhi: In what comes out as delightful news to tennis fans across the world, the US Open, last grand slam of the year, will be played from August 31 to September 13 behind closed doors, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced on Tuesday.

The New York state Governor also highlighted the fact  that robust testing will be conducted to ensure that the tournament goes ahead smoothly.

"The @usopen will be held in Queens, NY, without fans from August 31 to September 13. The USTA will take extraordinary precautions to protect players and staff, including robust testing, additional cleaning, extra locker room space, and dedicated housing & transportation," Cuomo said in a tweet.

The decision to host the grand slam comes at the backdrop of many tennis stars showing their unwillingness to participate and apprehensions of going ahead with the US Open citing the dangers posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios also said that the decision to go ahead with the US Open is a selfish move, given the current situation on coronavirus pandemic