Dhe tennis world rankings first Ashleigh Barty will not compete at the US Open in New York. As the Australian said in a message to the news agency AAP on Thursday, she will also do without the previous tournament, which has been moved from Cincinnati to New York. Barty cited her concerns about traveling in the face of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic as the reason for her decision.
The decision was made together with her team. “I love both tournaments, so it was a difficult decision. But there are still significant risks from Covid-19, ”said Barty. She feels uncomfortable exposing herself and her team to it. She announced a decision to participate in the French Open and clay court tournaments in Europe for the coming weeks.
Barty’s cancellation is the most prominent so far for the US Open, which is scheduled to run from August 31st to September 13th under strict hygiene regulations. It will soon be decided whether the Grand Slam tournament will actually take place in view of the high number of infections in the United States. The French Open, which is actually scheduled for late May to early June, is to be rescheduled from September 27. Barty had won her first Grand Slam title in Paris last year.
The women’s tour is scheduled to start again next Monday with the WTA tournament in Palermo. The world ranking second Simona Halep had last canceled her participation. Romania’s start at the US Open is also uncertain. The best German players Angelique Kerber and Julia Görges are not on the entry list for the women’s tournament that was moved from Cincinnati to New York.
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