Sydney

Tennis star Nick Kyrgios on Sunday pulled out of this year's US Open, saying his decision was made keeping in mind "the hundreds of thousands of Americans who have lost their lives".

"Dear Tennis, I will not be playing this year at the US Open. It hurts me at my core," Kyrgios said in a video posted on Twitter.

"But I'm sitting out for the people, for my Aussies, for the hundreds of thousands of Americans who have lost their lives, for all of you."

Earlier, World No. 1 women's tennis player Ashleigh Barty also pulled out of this year's US Open due to concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic.

"My team and I have decided that we won't be travelling to the US and Western and Southern Open and the US Open this year," Barty was quoted as saying by the Herald Sun newspaper.

"I love both events so it was a difficult decision but there are still significant risks involved due to COVID-19 and I don't feel comfortable putting my team and I in that position.

"I wish the USTA all the best for the tournaments and look forward to being back in the US next year," she added.

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