The US Open will be conducted at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Centre, New York from August 31 to September 13. However, this year’s tournament will be conducted amidst a global pandemic that has already killed over 835,000 people. The tournament will be conducted within a bio-secure bubble, announced the United States Tennis Association officials. While the tournament will feature the likes of Novak Djokovic, Dominic Thiem, Serena Williams, and Karolina Pliskova, there have been glaring dropouts due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal has decided to give the tournament a miss, citing the rising number of coronavirus cases. Nadal is the current World Number two as per ATP rankings and is also the defending champion of the US Open. The Spaniard announced his decision to pull out from the tournament on August 4. Roger Federer will also miss the tournament as he is recovering from surgery.

Other top-ranked men’s players who will not be seen in action at the US Open this year are Nick Kyrgios, Fabio Fogini, and Kei Nishikori.

Kyrgios issued a statement saying “What is important is the health and safety of the community. We can rebuild our sports and our economy, but we never recover the lives lost.”

Also read: Face masks, COVID test every 4 days: US Open gears up to conduct Grand Slam amid pandemic

Gael Monfils and Stanislas Wawrinka have also announced that they will not participate in the Grand Slam.

The women’s draw is also missing several key names. The World no. 1 Ashleigh Barty and Simona Halep, the second-ranked player in the WTA circuit, have announced that they will not take part in the marquee tournament. Barty pulled out of the Grand Slam citing health and safety concerns.

Halep took to Twitter to say, “I always said I would put my health at the heart of my decision and I, therefore, prefer to stay and train in Europe.”

ATP rank five, Elina Svitolina, has also decided against competing in the US Open this year. Svitolina also cited concerns over her health and stated that she was not willing to travel and risk putting herself and her team in danger.

ATP rank six, Bianca Andreescu also cited her COVID-19 as her reason for not attending the US Open this year.

Also read: Japan’s Nishikori withdraws from US Open despite negative Covid-19 test

Similarly, Kiki Bartens, ATP rank seven and Belinda Belic, ATP rank holder 8, have pulled out of the US Open citing the coronavirus pandemic as the major reason for not participating in the tournament.

Other key women players who have withdrawn from the tournament are Qiang Wang, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.