Now things are happening very quickly: Former world number one Simona Halep (32) will make her comeback on the WTA tour in March.
From the courtroom back to the square: Simona Halep. AFP via Getty Images
As the Romanian announced in an Instagram post on Thursday, she will be teeing off at the Miami Open in Florida, which starts on March 19th. The announcement comes just two days after Halep’s doping ban was drastically shortened and she was immediately eligible to play again. “Many thanks to the organizers for giving me this opportunity,” wrote Halep. “I can’t wait to get back on the court and compete.”
It will be her first tournament on the tour since the 2022 US Open. At that time, she – seeded number seven – was surprisingly eliminated in the first round against the Ukrainian Daria Snigur. Since this match at the end of August 2022, the two-time Grand Slam winner has not been on the court in a professional match.
Ban reduced from four years to nine months
A doping sample given at the tournament turned out to be positive. The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) then banned Halep until October 2026, but the player went before the international sports tribunal CAS. This now followed Halep’s statement that the banned substance had entered the Romanian’s body through consumption of a contaminated dietary supplement and reduced the ban on Tuesday from the original four years to nine months. The ban therefore expired in July 2023 – and Halep was eligible to play again with immediate effect after the verdict was announced.
The current world number one Iga Swiatek and the Australian Open winner Aryna Sabalenka will also be competing at the top-class Miami Open. The hard court tournament is endowed with almost nine million US dollars in the women’s competition. Halep himself has never won the tournament.
2024-03-07 22:00:06
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