Top-ranked Barty to skip U.S. Open because of COVID

Ash Barty of Australia, the world’s topranked female tennis player, said Wednesday she will skip the U.S. Open because of her concerns about the risks posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The tournament is scheduled to be played Aug. 31 through Sept. 13 without fans in attendance. Usually the last Grand Slam in the calendar year, it would be the second contested this year: the Australian Open took place in January, before the coronavirus shut down the sports world, Wimbledon was canceled, and the French Open was moved to a late September start.

Barty said in a statement she will also skip the Western and Southern Open, which is scheduled to precede the U.S. Open at the same site, the U.S. Tennis Association’s Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York.

“My team and I have decided that we won’t be traveling to the U.S. for the Western and Southern Open and the U.S. Open this year,” she said. “I love both events so it was a difficult decision but there are still significant risks involved due to COVID-19 and I don’t feel comfortable putting my team and I in that position.

“I wish the USTA all the best for the tournaments and look forward to being back in the U.S. next year. I will make my decision on the French Open and the surrounding WTA European tournaments in the coming weeks.”

Barty won the French Open in 2019. The dates this year were pushed back from the traditional late spring timing to take place Sept. 27-Oct. 11.