Tennis player Simona Halep has announced her decision to withdraw from the US Open in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The world number two made the announcement on Twitter, saying that she would “put my health at the heart of my decision”.
“After weighing up all the factors involved and with the exceptional circumstances in which we are living, I have decided that I will not travel to New York to play the @usopen. I always said I would put my health at the heart of my decision,” Halep tweeted.
“… and I therefore prefer to stay and train in Europe. I know the @usta and @WTA have worked tirelessly to put on a safe event and I wish everyone there a successful tournament,” she said in another tweet.
Halep’s announcement comes a day after she won the inaugural Prague Open, defeating Belgium’s Elise Mertens 6-2, 7-5 in the final.
The US Open is scheduled to be played at the Flushing Meadows from August 31 to September 13.
The 28-year-old Romanian joined the growing list of high-profile players who have decided to skip the grand slam tournament this year due to concerns over the coronavirus pandemic. World number one Ashleigh Barty, US Open defending champion Bianca Andreescu and former champion Svetlana Kuznetsova have withdrawn from the women’s singles event.
Men’s defending champion Rafael Nadal, former champion Stan Wawrinka and Nick Kyrgios have also decided not to travel to the US for the grand slam tournament amid rising COVID-19 cases.
However, other top players, including Novak Djokovic, who has recovered from COVID-19 post the Adria Tour, and Naomi Osaka have confirmed that they will be in attendance.