Just as Simona Halep returned to tennis following a lengthy doping ban, the former world No. 1 sustained a knee injury in mid-May, and the rehab process is taking longer than hoped for. In her latest update, the Romanian tennis star informed her fans that she’ll stay out of competition for a while.
After an absence of more than 18 months due to a doping ban, Halep made her comeback at the Miami Open in March. The 32-year-old’s return was marked by a loss in the opening match to Paula Badosa. Playing her first match since the first-round exit at the Miami Open, Halep was leading 7-5 2-3 against American McCartney Kessler at the Trophée Clarins tournament in Paris when a knee injury forced her to retire. Despite receiving wildcards for the subsequent Oeiras and Madrid tournaments, which sparked criticism from some players, the two-time Grand Slam champion was forced to withdraw from both clay-court events. Her decision was influenced by her insufficient fitness level and ongoing knee pain.
The latest news from Halep is that the knee injury is unlike any she had before and is exceptionally tough to manage, with the pain persisting. Even though continued absence from the WTA Tour is hard for her emotionally, especially after the roxadustat doping case, Halep has decided to give her body time to recover:
I have decided to take the time needed to recover properly, rather than training and playing through pain. My instinct has always been to try to come back as soon as possible, but I am not a machine, I am a human being and I need time to recover from everything I have gone through.
