Tennis: World No. 2 Simona Halep pulls out of US Open

By Emre Asikci

ISTANBUL (AA) - Women's world No.2 Simona Halep will not take part in the US Open due to coronavirus concerns, she announced on Monday.

"After weighing up all the factors involved and with the exceptional circumstances in which we are living, I have decided that I will not travel to New York to play the @usopen," Halep said on Twitter.

"I always said I would put my health at the heart of my decision and I therefore prefer to stay and train in Europe. I know the @usta and @WTA have worked tirelessly to put on a safe event and I wish everyone there a successful tournament."

Halep, 28, clinched two Grand Slam titles, including the 2018 French Open and 2019 Wimbledon.

Several others including Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Stan Wawrinka and Belinda Bencic have also decided to skip the tournament scheduled from Aug. 31 to Sept. 13 behind closed doors.

The US has around 5.5 million virus cases, and more than 170,000 people have died, according to a Johns Hopkins University tally.