Ash Barty pulls out of French Open, citing Covid fears
First she skipped the US Open, now Ash Barty has decided not to defend her French Open title.
Ash Barty will continue a prolonged training campaign ahead of the Australian Open in January after opting against defending her Roland Garros title later this month.
The 24-year-old, who has been training in Brisbane, decided to withdraw from the rescheduled French Open on Tuesday due to travel difficulties and the coronavirus threat.
But she is aiming to maintain her fitness as much as possible while continuing to improve her game in the build-up to January, despite the uncertainty surrounding the Australian summer.
The world No 1, who also skipped the US Open, remains concerned about the COVID-19 situation globally, with France recording more than 7000 new cases on Monday.
The Queenslander is determined to protect her health and also her team and family during the pandemic.
Her coach Craig Tyzzer endured a health scare during the 2019 Australian Open which left him bed-ridden, and the Fed Cup star has prioritised the well-being of her support team.
“It has been a challenging year for everyone and although I am disappointed on a tennis front, the health and well-being of my family and team will always be a priority,” she said.
While Barty has been hitting the ball well in practice, she has not trained under the supervision of Tyzzer, who has been unable to gain an exemption to travel to Queensland from Melbourne.
She will continue to train in Brisbane but is likely to make the transition from clay courts back to hard courts ahead of the Australian summer.
“It has been a difficult decision to make but unfortunately I will not be competing in Europe this year,” Barty said.
“Last year’s French Open was the most special tournament of my career, so this is not a decision I have made lightly.
“There are two reasons for my decision. The first is the health risks that still exist with COVID. The second is my preparation, which has not been ideal without my coach being able to train with me, due to the state border closures in Australia.”
Tennis Australia has been tackling several issues to minimise the disruption to the summer of tennis in January.
A system is needed to allow for the arrival of players from overseas and also their safe movement within the country, while a COVID-safe strategy for crowds to attend the Australian Open in some capacity is being explored.
The French Open continues to push ahead with plans to host crowds of up to 11,500, which concerns players including American legend Serena Williams.
“It‘s just, for me, I’m super conservative, because I do have some serious health issues,” she said.
“So I try to stay away from public places, because I have been in a really bad position in the hospital a few times.
“So I don‘t want to end up in that position again, so I don’t know. I’ll just do my best to continue to keep … a 12-foot (3.6 metres) distance instead of six.”
The 23-time grand slam singles champion showed her steel in a 6-3 6-7 6-3 victory US Open win over Maria Sakkari, who defeated her in the relocated Cincinnati event last week.
The 38-year-old faces Tsvetana Pironkova in a clash between two of the few mothers currently playing on the tour for a berth in the semi-finals.
Reigning Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin was beaten by Belgian star Elise Mertens 6-3 6-3.
Former world No 1 Victoria Azarenka, a dual-Australian Open champion, continued her resurgence with a 5-7 6-1 6-4 win over Karolina Muchova.
The 31-year-old will play in her first grand slam quarter-final since the 2016 Australian Open when she plays Mertens, who was a semi-finalist in Melbourne two years ago.
It has been a difficult decision to make but unfortunately I will not be competing in Europe this year. Last year’s French Open was the most special tournament of my career so this is not a decision I have made… https://t.co/Tyh2yKEHxV
— Ash Barty (@ashbarty) September 8, 2020
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