Simona Halep has withdrawn from next week’s Ladies Palermo Open due to the confusion surrounding the Italian government’s restrictions on travelers from Romania.
"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," Halep posted on social media. "I want to thank the tournament director and the Italian ministry of health for all efforts on my behalf."
The decision comes after a lot of back-and-forth between the Palermo tournament director Oliviero Palma and the Italian government. On Friday the Italian Minister of Health announced that all travelers from Romania and Bulgaria would require a 14-day quarantine upon arrival in Italy.
Palma worked hard to clarify details and was thought to be close to smoothing the matter over before Halep made her announcement on Sunday.
It left Palermo, an event which is not planning to break even this year, without its top player—and bitterly disappointed.