World number one Ashleigh Barty, the 2019 Roland Garros champion, will not be defending her Grand Slam of France this year. He announced he will not participate in the 2020 French Open due to the COVID-19 risk.
After retiring from the 2020 US Open, Ashleigh retired from the Major on the clay court, scheduled for later this month. Having lost his vision in action at Flushing Meadows, his fans were waiting for his return to Roland Garros.
The decision was difficult for the Australian and his team to make. But the continuing risk of the deadly virus and lack of training opportunities led her to the decision.
“Obviously it was a bit of a tough decision for us. A decision we have been shaping for many months and there have been a couple of factors that COVID risk has entered at the moment is still too risky and not being able to train with my coach Craig and not having him here Queensland was really difficult. The preparation was not ideal for us in any sense. So it’s a challenging part, but we’ve made the decision now and we feel it’s the best decision for our team. ” Ashleigh stated.
The 2020 French Open may see some absent
Usually, the French Open takes place during the summer. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the entire calendar. As a result, the Wimbledon Championships were also canceled. The 2020 French Open will start on the revised date of 21 September and will continue until 11 October.
With the exclusion of Ashleigh Barty, the French Open 2020 has lost a champion. Serena Williams is also in doubt for the event due to her health problems. Also, Roger Federer is already sidelined due to knee surgery. Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, however, will both be looking to increase their ever-growing number of majors.
