Former champion Novak Djokovic will headline Day One at the US Open as an unusual calm settles over Flushing Meadows for the first grand slam event since the coronavirus outbreak.

Djokovic, who won the singles titles in 2018, will compete in prime time starting at 7pm in New York on Monday – a line-up that, under normal circumstances, would cause thousands of fans to pack under the lights of Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Instead, the stands will sit empty, with players living in quarantine.

World No.1 Djokovic will play Bosnian Damir Dzumhur as he begins his bid for an 18th grand slam title.

Donning masks and lugging rackets over their shoulders, the handful of authorised attendees trickled into the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in unseasonably cool weather as the curtain raised on a US Open unlike any before.

The COVID-19 crisis has already had an impact on the tournament, with one player dropping out on Sunday after testing positive before the event began.

Many top players, including reigning champion Rafa Nadal and Roger Federer, have opted not to compete due to health and safety concerns.

That could leave room for younger male contenders looking to win their first grand slam.

German 23-year-old fifth seed Alexander Zverev competes in the first round against South African Kevin Anderson on Monday while 22-year-old Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece faces Spain’s Albert Ramos-Vinolas.