Halep confirms she will not attend Flushing Meadows.

After weeks of prevarication, Simona Halep has finally confirmed that she will not be playing the US Open this year leaving the organisers with just four players ranked in the WTA’s top ten featuring in the second grand slam of the year.

I always said I would put my health at the heart of my decision, and I prefer to stay and train in Europe Simona Halep

“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 US Open. I always said I would put my health at the heart of my decision, and I 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,” Simona Halep said on social media.

From the top ten she joins Ashleigh Barty, Elina Svitolina, Bianca Andreescu, Kiki Bertens and Belinda Bencic on the women’s absentee list, leaving the world number three Karolina Pliskova as the top seed for the forthcoming major which is due to start in just under a fortnight’s time.

Halep as promised, announced her decision a day after she won the Prague Open for her 21st title having pulled out of the Palermo Open the preceding week.

The Romanian will be skipping the US Open for the first time since 2009. She reached the semi-finals in 2015 but last year suffered a humiliating second round loss to qualifier Taylor Townsend.

Currently Halep has clocked up 15 wins from 17 matches played in 2020 including the five on clay in Prague when she beat Elise Mertens in the final.

The two-time Grand Slam champion will now set her sights on a second French Open title which is due to start two weeks after the completion of Flushing Meadows.