Sydney (AFP)

World No.1 Ashleigh Barty left doubts on Friday about her participation in the US Open and American tournaments this summer, still worried about the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic on tennis.

"It's exciting to talk about tennis again (to see) that things are moving in the right direction to resume competition," said the Australian at the Sydney Morning Herald.

"But I would need to know all the information and recommendations of the WTA and the USTA (which respectively manage the women's circuit and the American tournaments) before making a decision," she added about her possible participation in the American tour, scheduled from early August to mid-September.

"It is not only about me, I must also take into account my team," explained the winner of Roland-Garros.

The organizers of the US Open, whose qualifications are scheduled to begin on August 24 in New York, one of the epicenters of the coronavirus epidemic in the country, must communicate by the end of the month on his outfit. They could exempt the players from the quarantine of fourteen days imposed on foreigners who enter American territory. But the exemption would not necessarily apply to their supervision (trainer, physiotherapist ...).

The words of Barty join those of the world N.2 Rafael Nadal, very cautious Thursday at the time of evoking the resumption of the world circuit.

"Tennis is a globalized sport, with people coming from all over the world, so it is a difficult sport to revive," said the Spaniard.

"If you told me (to play the US Open) today, I would say no. In a few months, I don't know. I hope so," he continued.

Following the pandemic, which has claimed hundreds of thousands of victims worldwide, including more than 100,000 in the United States alone, the country most affected, the official ATP and WTA circuits have been suspended for the time being, at least until July 31.

Among the major tournaments, the Australian Open was able to be played without incident at the start of the year and Roland-Garros was moved from spring to early fall (September 20-October 4), a week after the end scheduled for the US Open (August 31-September 13).

But Wimbledon, the 3rd Grand Slam lift, had to be canceled for the first time since World War II.

© 2020 AFP