World number one Ashleigh Barty on Thursday confirmed that she will not play the US Open over concerns about the Covid-19 pandemic, saying that there are still “significant risks” involved.
The US Open is scheduled to begin from August 31.
“My team and I have decided that we won’t be travelling to the US for the Western and Southern Open and the US Open this year,” Barty said in a statement.
“I love both events so it was a difficult decision but there are still significant risks involved due to COVID-19 and I don’t feel comfortable putting my team and I in that position. I wish the USTA all the best for the tournaments and look forward to being back in the US next year.
“I will make my decision on the French Open and the surrounding WTA European tournaments in the coming weeks,” she added. The French Open which was originally scheduled to be played in May, was postponed due to the pandemic and will be held from September 27.
Barty is one of the biggest names to withdraw from the grand slam event. She had earlier expressed her reservations about playing the US Open amid the rising cases of Covid-19. The United States has recorded over 4.5 million cases so far, with death toll crossing the 150,000-mark.
Apart from Barty, men’s top-ranked player Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Simona Halep and Naomi Osaka have also expressed concern about participating in the US Open.
All sports, including tennis, was suspended in March following the coronavirus outbreak. While the French Open was postponed, Wimbledon was cancelled for the first time since World War II.
Players have returned to training, with the WTA tour scheduled to restart on August 3 in Palermo, and men’s tennis resuming with the Western and Southern Open, which has been shifted from Cincinnati to New York this time.
