Simona Halep, the No.2 women’s tennis player in the world, might not make it to the US Open this year. Halep issued a statement on Wednesday in which she said that she wouldn’t play at the tournament’s 2020 edition if the organizers decide to go with previously announced conditions and health protocols.
The US Open recently shared its health and safety protocols, conditions, and guidelines that tennis players will have to adhere to in the wake of ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Some of the rules include frequent testing, limited movability around New York, restrictions on a number of supporting staff players can bring, and possible isolation to hotel rooms.
Several top players expressed their concerns about these protocols, with No.1 tennis player in the world Novak Djokovic saying it would be “impossible” to play under these conditions. Halep agrees, saying that “given the conditions outlined in the U.S. Open announcement this morning, as of today I do not currently plan to play in NYC.”
In case that the situation improves and US Open tones down on the restrictions, Halep will revise her decision.
“I would like to underline that my decision is not set in stone,” she added.
While she emerged as one of the best tennis players in the world in recent years, winning the French Open in 2018 and Wimbledon in 2019, Simona Halep hasn’t seen much success at the US Open. Halep never played in the finals at Flushing Meadows and has made it to the semi-finals just once. In the past three years, she hasn’t made it past the second round.
