MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 01st August, 2020) China's top female tennis player Wang Qiang announced Saturday she will not be taking part in the US Open and other US tournaments due to travel restrictions and the COVID-19 situation in the country.
Wang's statement on her Weibo account comes just two days after world number one female tennis player, Australia's Ashleigh Barty, made the same announcement.
"I'm very sad to announce to everybody that due to international travel restrictions and safety concerns, my team and I have decided to withdraw from Western & Southern Open and U.S. Open. I want to thank everyone for their outstanding efforts and hope to see you again next year in the US Open season!" Wang wrote on her Chinese social media page.
Wang, who occupies the 29th position in the women's world ranking, also announced she will no longer be training under tennis coach Thomas Drouet for the same reasons.
"Under the circumstances of [me] being unable to go abroad for competitions and the coach being unable to enter the country, Thomas and I agreed after many discussions to end the cooperation. I thank him for the help and guidance he has provided me along the way. I thank him for his help and for everything he sacrificed, I wish him and his family all the best!" the athlete added.
The Cincinnati Masters, otherwise known as the Western & Southern Open, and the US Open in New York City are scheduled back-to-back between August 20 and September 13. The entry list of players remains in flux and is being updated daily due to the pandemic-related disruptions.
