The COVID-19 protocols proposed by the U.S. Open organizers which would restrict players to their hotels with only one support staff would probably not work for the reigning Wimbledon champion Halep, said her coach Darren Cahill, joining world number one Novak Djokovic who has expressed similar concerns.

"The restrictions are tough. They're incredibly difficult, and every player will have their own opinion as to whether that will work for them. I'm pretty sure that won't work for Simona," Cahill told Reuters in a telephone interview from Australia.

Cahill elaborated that tennis is an individual sport and therefore restricting the player to only one person by their side, in comparison to normally having a physiotherapist, a hitting partner, trainer and maybe a coach or two only poses more difficulties for professional players to compete at the highest level.

"From Simona's point of view, you got to fly over from Romania, you need to spend four weeks in this one hotel in New York, and you can only bring one person," said the Australian.

The highly respected coach has his "fingers crossed" that the situation will improve sufficiently to make such protocols unnecessary.

"A lot changes in two or three days, let alone six or seven weeks. So as time goes on, I think a lot of the restrictions will start to come down."

Despite the strict protocols, some players are anxiously anticipating the U.S. Open to go ahead as scheduled. American tennis player Danielle Collins, for instance, pointed to the tournament "a massive opportunity for players to start making money again."

"No one has been able to play sanctioned events or make money since February," Collins, who made the semi-finals of the 2019 Australian Open, wrote on Instagram.

She has hit out at Djokovic's opposition to U.S. Open protocols arguing that "this is a serious contradiction" for him to on one hand, urge players to contribute to a fund to help lower-ranked professionals, while on the other claim it is difficult to only bring in one additional person when competing in the upcoming U.S. Open.

"It's easy when someone's made $150 million throughout their career to try and tell people what to do with their money, and then turn down playing in the U.S. Open," she said.

The U.S. Open, scheduled to begin on August 31, will be the first Grand Slam to be played after the COVID-19 pandemic suspended the season in March.

(With input from agencies)

(Cover image: Simona Halep talks with her coach Darren Cahill during a singles match against Aryna Sabalenka on day five of the 2020 Adelaide International at Memorial Drive in Adelaide, Australia, January 16, 2020. /VCG)