What do you expect from this US Open?
It’s a completely unique situation. I don’t know how I’d feel if I was a player and what decision I would take [about playing]. No-one can have any judgement about the players if they go or don’t go - I completely understand the players that want to play and those not feeling comfortable with playing. It’s completely open.

You play with the fans and you play for the fans. You get the energy, the emotion from the crowd so players will have to develop other resources and really try to come with what they have inside. It’ll be interesting to see which players can take advantage of that.

It’s great to see players back on court. I think they [USTA] have done a great job organising it. I’m happy for the players who were not in easy situations financially too. It was a tough time for some without working professionally so I’m happy for them for sure.

How happy are you that tennis is back?
It’s good for the game that’s it’s back. For the players who need to play it’s really important and the fans will be happy watch tennis on television. I’m happy we’re back for sure. It’s not going to be the same US Open, that’s for sure. If we expect to find the world of tennis as it was before then it would not be possible. It’s going to be completely different. It’s going to be interesting to see.

How will players cope with having no fans in the stadium?
It will be the same for everyone. Will it help the players who practice better than when they compete? It will feel more like practice who don’t like the pressure of the fans, but most of the players I know like to play in front of the energy of the fans, the emotions from the stadium. The motivation is going to be the question. It’s going to be interesting to see which players count on their internal resources.

Will someone like Serena Williams benefit from having no crowds, or does she feed off the energy?
I think she likes to play with a lot of fans. Will it be the best situation for her? I’m not sure it will be. Of course, a lot of the top 10 players will not be there, but all of the players playing will be a tough opponent this year. All of the other girls will see opportunities. Serena likes the electric atmosphere, so I’m not sure these will be the best conditions for Serena – but she can always surprise us, that’s for sure.

Do you think Serena Williams will finally equal Margaret Court’s record of 24 Grand Slams?
It’s an opportunity for her for sure. We don’t really know how she’ll feel physically but mentally the ambition will be strong. If you look at the top players that won’t be there, it will have an effect. It will be very open.

For [Sofia] Kenin, the expectations after the Australian Open will also be there. Serena seems in a good position, motivation will be huge but she also likes to play with the fans. She likes to take the energy from the crowd when she plays at home but it will be completely different this year.

The situation with Djokovic, Nadal and Federer is unique. The game needs more inspiration with girls that win repeatedly and that doesn’t change every month and with so many different Grand Slam winners. The young girls that start to play tennis need that. I had the feeling last year that it could stabilise a little bit and that’s what I hope for the future.

I am very neutral. But it would be fantastic if Serena can do it because she has been chasing this for a long-time now.

Is this a good opportunity for Karolina Pliskova to win her first Grand Slam with the lack of crowd?
It might help her, she’s going to be one of the players that has a good chance. But we don’t know what kind of form she will be in. Yes, of course – she is very stable, plays solid tennis but always missing the thing that makes the difference. With the lack of crowd, it might be an advantage for her.

Is it too early for Coco Gauff to win a first Slam?
For me, everything can happen this year. Even Kim Clijsters has a chance to win matches – whether she has the chance to the win the whole tournament I do not know – we can have so many surprises. More so in the women’s draw with many players in the top 10 missing. It’s not going to be a Grand Slam like any other, so anything can happen. I’m sure of that.

Are you disappointed there are so many absentees from the women’s tournament?
Well of course you want to see the best players in the world competing because I’m sure there will be a lot of fans watching on their televisions. In another way, I completely understand. They are going to protect player’s ranking points and I get that because not everyone is in the same situation – it is still hard for some players to travel. There will be fewer of the top female players, but we have to take it in a positive way, that it is going to be an opportunity for other players to possibly win their first Grand Slam or cause big surprises, which I think could happen.

With these absentees, do you think there will be many surprises?
Everything is open. The players have been training, but they haven’t know what for or when for and they have been doing that for a long, long time so it will be difficult – we will see.

How do you view Kim Clijsters’ comeback?
It’s a good opportunity despite the injury. She played well during the last few weeks and won a lot of matches but it wasn’t in the normal format so it’s hard to say how she’ll deal with two and three set matches every few days. It was quite surprising how she is back on the court; I couldn’t quite believe it. We’re going to follow this with a lot of excitement. At her age with three kids she shows she wants to do it and she is doing it. I have a lot of respect for that. Physically it will be the main question with her.

How do you see the prospects of Novak Djokovic?
It’s going to be tough for him. Of course, we can see him as the favourite. But it’s going to be a big opportunity for the players that are always running after the big three. When they have to play the three of them, it is very hard, but even if they only have to play one of them then mentally and psychologically it will give them a boost. Every match will be difficult.

This is one of the first tournaments in a while without the Big Three. Do you think it will be easier for Djokovic to win?
Of course, he’s going to be one of the favourites again. He looks like he’s ready for it. Maybe he’s the biggest player but mentally other players will think they have a good chance. No-one knows how they’re going to feel on the court – everyone had to live through this time and everyone has been impacted. It’s hard to say who will take the opportunity.

Who do you think will be the outsiders?
We can talk about Thiem, Tsitsipas, Zverev… And so many other players. Kim Clijsters in the women’s draw too. It’s maybe the best moment to come back on the circuit.

Looking at the men’s draw it’s going to be tough with around 90% of the top players there. Djokovic of course is the favourite but we don’t know how all players are going to live the experience. I’m really interested psychologically and what will happen mentally. This is where it will be so interesting. Players will have to show another side to be strong. To feel the support of all the fans watching on TV will be hard so they will have to have a lot of support from the coaches and teams too.

How exciting is this tournament going to be?
The players have had to make the decision to go I’m curious with how the players will live the opportunities, how they control their emotions. Players or not and there are so many questions. It’s so interesting how players have practiced over the last few months. I have the feeling on the women’s side that we might have so many surprises – probably more than on the men’s side.

What is the key for a successful 2020 US Open?
The most important aspect for the players will be to adjust mentally. If they want to feel the same conditions as before, it will be very complicated. As tennis players, they know the atmosphere and energy of a normal tennis tournament, but this will be completely different.