At the US Open are, left to right, Aruna Seneviratne, MD; Melissa Leber, MD; Alexis Colvin, MD; James Gladstone, MD; and Shawn Anthony, MD, MBA
The 2020 US Open Tennis Championships was a memorable event thanks to prevention strategies to decrease the risk for transmission of COVID-19 from a team of infectious disease experts, orthopedic surgeons, sports medicine physicians and musculosketal radiologists at Mount Sinai Health System who collaborated with the USTA to create a comprehensive health plan to guide athletes in safely playing at this year’s tournament. Mount Sinai served as the official medical services provider for the eighth consecutive year at the tournament.
In this post, Melissa Leber, MD, Director of Emergency Department Sports Medicine at Mount Sinai, and Associate Professor of Sports Medicine and Emergency Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and US Open Player Physician, reflected on the experience.
As a longtime player physician at the US Open, as well as at the Western and Southern Open this year which took place in New York due to the pandemic, I am not surprised by how well things went. The amount of careful thought and organization that went into the safe operation of these two tennis tournaments is not only inspiring but also comforting. I have a front row seat to the intricacies of creating these safe environments and the effort it takes from all involved to make sure it remains that way. My colleague Alexis Colvin, MD, Chief Medical Officer of the US Open, has worked tirelessly for weeks to bring the first major tennis tournament of 2020 to New York.
This is my eighth year taking care of the elite athletes at the US Open. This job has always been, and will continue to be, high pressure, having to take care of the world’s best tennis players, making highly scrutinized quick decisions while on a court in front of thousands of eyes. But this year is different. From a medical standpoint, we know that many Covid-19 symptoms mimic other medical problems that we encounter frequently in tennis, such as heat illness, dehydration, allergies, and the common cold. This makes diagnosis and care of the athletes that much more complicated.
Watch the closing ceremonies, which featured Mount Sinai’s doctors
The grounds of the National Training Center were eerily quiet and none of us can wait for fans to return. Balancing not only the athletes’ physical needs and their emotional well-being takes special considerations. Bringing a little bit of New York to the athletes who have traveled from around the world is a special focus this year. We had local food trucks and entertainment so that the athletes can have an outlet after practicing and playing all day.
In addition to Dr. Colvin and Dr. Leber, Mount Sinai physicians supporting the 2020 US Open include:
Lisa Anthony, MD, Assistant Clinical Professor in Dermatology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Shawn Anthony, MD, MBA, Assistant Professor of Sports Medicine and Orthopedic Surgery, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; medical director for Broadway shows
Carlos Benitez, MD, Director of Musculoskeletal Imaging, Mount Sinai West and Mount Sinai St. Luke’s; and Associate Professor of Radiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Bernard Camins, MD, Medical Director of Infection Prevention, Mount Sinai Health System
Jeffrey Ciccone, MD, Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology, Perioperative & Pain Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
Houman Danesh, MD, Associate Professor of Anesthesiology, Perioperative & Pain Medicine, Rehabilitation & Human Performance, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Etan Dayan, MD, Assistant Professor of Diagnostic, Molecular and Interventional Radiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
James Gladstone, MD, Chief of the Sports Medicine Service, Mount Sinai Health System; and Associate Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Kevin Munjal, MD, MPH, MSCR, Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine, Population Health Science and Policy, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Trevor Pour, MD, Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Christopher Reverte, MD, Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Aruna Seneviratne, MD, Associate Professor of Orthopedic Surgery, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Eric Small, MD, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Orthopedics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai