Australian tennis player Ashleigh Barty, current number one in the world of the WTA, confirmed this Thursday that he will not participate in the US Open, second 'Grand Slam' of the season to be held at the end of August, for fear of coronavirus.
“My team and I have decided that we will not travel to the Cincinnati tournament or the US Open this year. I love both events, so it was a difficult decision, but there are still significant risks from the coronavirus and I don't feel comfortable putting my team and myself in that position, “ Barty said in a statement sent to the Associated Press.
The current champion of Roland Garros neither confirmed his presence on the subsequent European clay-court tour, including his defense of title in paris. “I will make my decision about Roland Garros and the tournaments Europeans in the coming weeks, “he warned.
Barty's casualty it is the first major confirmed absence he will have in one of his individual tables the US Open, which will start on the 28th August in New York, a city that has been severely punished by a pandemic that has already left more than 150,000 dead in the United States.