Simona Halep has accepted a wild card invitation to play the Kremlin Cup in Moscow after the withdrawals of Emma Raducanu and Belinda Bencic.
And US Open men’s champion Daniil Medvedev has also withdrawn.
“Hello everyone! I am really sad to announce that this year I won’t be participating in Kremlin cup,” the 25-year-old wrote on Instagram on Friday.
“It’s always special to have a chance to play in front of Russian fans.”
“I signed in to give myself best chances to play, but with calendar this year being extremely tough (addition of Indian Wells in October) I felt that my body is not ready 100% anymore.
“This decision was very tough for me but it has to be done in order to be able to finish 2021 season strong.”
The event starts on Monday.
