Wimbledon champion Simona Halep has withdrawn from the Palermo Ladies Open.
In a Twitter post, she wrote: "Given the recent rise in Covid19 cases in Romania and my anxieties around international air travel at this time, I have made the tough decision to withdraw from Palermo. I want to thank the tournament director and the Italian ministry of health for all efforts on my behalf."
Given the recent rise in Covid19 cases in Romania and my anxieties around international air travel at this time, I have made the tough decision to withdraw from Palermo. I want to thank the tournament director and the Italian ministry of health for all efforts on my behalf 🙏
— Simona Halep (@Simona_Halep) July 26, 2020
The tournament also confirmed the news on their own social media channels.
Former World No.4 Johanna Konta and 2018 US Open semifinalist Anastasija Sevastova have also withdrawn from Palermo. In a statement, Konta said: "Due to the forever changing nature of the situation, I've decided to withdraw from Palermo. I’m really hopeful I will one day get the chance to play there, so hopefully I will see you all next year."
WTA tennis returns from the pandemic postponement with the Palermo Open and the high-quality field is led by World No.15 Petra Martic and Roland Garros finalist Marketa Vondrousova. In addition, 2017 Roland Garros champion Jelena Ostapenko is entered, along with former Top 10 players Kristina Mladenovic and Daria Kasatkina.
Read more: The Palermo Open field
Halep was due to resume her season in Italy from August 3, having not played competitively since beating Elena Rybakina in March's Dubai final.
The two-time Grand Slam champion has also been announced for the Prague Open, which begins on August 10.
Read more: Halep commits to Prague
