WTT success provides hope for U.S. Open

The final tally at the month-long, nine-team World Team Tennis event staged in a bubble at the Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia was 66-love.

“Love” is the zero amount of coronavirus positives during the event from the group of 150 players, coaches and WTT personnel on hand inside the Greenbrier bubble.

The nine-team event concluded Sunday on CBS with the New York Empire capturing the Finals over Chicago before 500 socially distanced fans in 2,500 stadium.

Now tennis will shortly shift to New York — without fans but with the same bubble/Covid-19 testing protocols. The success of the WTT season bodes well for the USTA trying to pull this off.

The Western Open, the annual Cincinnati tuneup, has been moved to Queens and will start Aug. 24. The Open plans to commence Aug. 31.

Neither event will have fans — unlike the limited patrons in West Virginia.

According to a source, the Open has scrapped plans to house players at JFK-area hotels. Instead a bubble environment will be staged at a Long Island hotel near the Nassau Coliseum.

Some top players are permitted to rent private homes but would have to pay for 24hour security. One estimate on that security cost is $40,000-$60,000, according to a tennis source.

“This virus is so tricky. I don’t know if in a different location and state [our success] helps, but it gives the U.S. Open some confidence it can be done,’’ WTT CEO Carlos Ramos told The Post. “If you don’t have strict protocols and don’t stick to them — we’ve seen it in baseball — it can very quickly unravel. One person gets it, the next thing you know 10 people get it.”

None of the 60 competitors got it West Virginia after being tested before their arrival and midstream. There was one incident of a player, Danielle Collins, sneaking out of the Greenbrier bubble to drive two hours to Charlottesville, Va. to buy health food. She was disqualified.

“They have more staff than players (252) than we did,’’ Ramos said. “It’s a game of numbers. It’s a great organization and (the USTA) has run the greatest tournament in the world for a long time. If anyone has a shot, it’s definitely the U.S. Open.’’

Nevertheless, rural West Virginia is not exactly Nassau County/Queens.

“Greenbrier is a wide open and safe place,’’ Ramos said. “It was a bit of good luck and a lot of hard work.”