She is not in pain but does not intend to take any health risks, nor to expose her team to them. World number one Australian player Ashleigh Barty has decided she will not compete in the US Open because of the coronavirus.
Ashleigh Barty announced her package on Thursday, citing the “significant risks” associated with the coronavirus. “It was a difficult decision but there are still significant risks associated with Covid-19 and I do not feel comfortable placing ourselves, my team and I, in this situation,” said in a statement from press the winner of Roland Garros in 2019.
This is a serious setback for the New York tournament, which is to be held from August 31 to September 13 in the United States, a country hard hit by the epidemic, and where the Washington tournament, which was to mark the resumption of the circuit male on August 14, has already been canceled.
The American federation (USTA), organizer of the US Open, does not however intend to give up the event, scheduled behind closed doors with drastic restrictions. But many players, especially Europeans, remain very reluctant to cross the Atlantic.
