Simona Halep continues to find her way into settling into the Tour life once again following her comeback. Having been suspended since her first-round exit at the 2022 US Open, the Romanian returned to action at the 2024 Miami Open.
Initially suspended for four years, the former Wimbledon champ appealed the decision in the CAS (Court of Arbitration for Sport). The 3-day hearing concluded the former World No. 1 had unknowingly consumed the banned substance. This helped reduce the duration of her suspension.
Although she was found guilty, her sentence was reduced to nine months due to being unknowingly given the supplement by the academy of Patrick Mouratoglou. This cleared her for an immediate return to the sport and the tournament in Miami quickly gave her a wildcard.
But the return hasn’t been harmonious and the Romanian remains upset about it. Her wildcard was questioned by Caroline Wozniacki who believed players returning from doping suspension shouldn’t be given wildcards. The comments were in line with Halep’s old comments on Maria Sharapova’s return after serving her doping sentence.
Ok, now everything is nice. I am clear. I did not do anything wrong, so I proved the reality, so this makes me feel really good, but still what I went through isn’t easy. I cannot forget like this. There is baggage that probably will stay longer. said Halep, speaking with Tennis One.
The two-time singles Grand Slam title winner also claimed that the struggle of nearly 19 months can’t be forgotten in a day. With emotions running high for her and also her colleagues and fans during her tournament appearances, she admitted to wanting to have better control of her emotions.
I cannot forget like one day after on what happened. I have to handle it better, I have to control my emotions coming back so there's baggage that is not easy. But the joy, I hope will help me. added the Romanian.
Simona Halep drops down to WTA-125 events to improve her ranking
Ranked outside the Top-1100 currently, the former World No. 1 has no option but to rely on wildcards to play the big Tour events. With the WTA Tour currently on a one-week break for the BJK Cup qualifiers, Halep has to wait for regular action to commence.
Three simultaneous events are scheduled next week, the WTA-500 event in Stuttgart, the WTA-250 event in Rouen, and the WTA-125 event in Portugal. With the bigger events not extending an invite to the Romanian, she is set to play the tournament in Oeiras.
The final week of April will see the WTA-1000 Madrid Open being played out. Halep has already been confirmed as one of the two wildcard entrants so far alongside Wozniacki. The 32-year-old is a former two-time champ and would hope to make a deep run to boost her ranking massively.
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