Halep was allowed to return to tennis in March but has played just two tournaments since due to a knee injury.
Simona Halep has shared some painful news just months after being cleared to return to tennis as the former world No. 1 is dealing with a knee issue that just isn’t going away.
After playing her first post-doping ban tournament in Miami, Halep missed a WTA 125 tournament in Portugal before also withdrawing from the Madrid Open due to a knee injury sustained in practice. When Halep returned to action in mid-May, she was up by a set against McCartney Kessler before retiring due to the same issue that forced her to miss Oeiras and Madrid.
Since Halep wasn’t awarded main draw wildcards into either Wimbledon or the French Open, some suspected that the 32-year-old Romanian was simply out of action because she didn’t have an opportunity to play. But now it is clear that the former world No. 1 is not playing because she is not able.
In an announcement posted on her Instagram, Halep revealed that she is planning to now stop all training and practice activities and only focus on recovering.
“Hi everyone, I wanted to provide a little health update since I have been away from the court lately. It is not the best news, but I wanted to share all the same. For a few months now, I have been struggling with a knee injury. It’s an injury I have never had before and it has been a tough one to manage, with the pain persisting,” Halep wrote on Instagram.
“It has been a very difficult period (almost two years) mentally and emotionally for me and struggling physically on top of that definitely doesn’t help. 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.
“I’ll keep you posted and, as always, want to thank you for your permanent support. I hope to be back on court very soon.”
What happened with Halep’s knee?
In her first match in a year and a half, Halep looked pretty well despite losing to Paula Badosa in three sets in their Miami match. And afterward, Halep sounded very happy with her performance and accepted to play for Romania in the Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers in early April and also took a main draw wildcard into Oeiras.
But then, the Romanian pulled out of the BJK Cup qualifiers and a shoulder injury was cited as the reason. A week later, Halep also withdrew from Oeiras but this time it was said that she was experiencing knee pain and discomfort in practice.
A month later, Halep tried to come back by playing in Trophée Clarins but lasted only for a set and a half. Later, the 32-year-old admitted it “did not go as planned” and confirmed previous reports indicating that she was dealing with knee issues.
“Well, yesterday didn’t go as I hoped on court. The knee pain that has been lingering since Miami came back and unfortunately I couldn’t continue. It’s not the way I would have liked to spend my time in Paris, but no one said this comeback was going to be easy,” Halep wrote on X after her second comeback tournament ended with a retirement.
“I will rest and then keep working and keep believing in my journey. Thank you to those of you supporting me, I see your messages and they mean the world to me.”
What Halep said after launching her return?
Halep made a lightning start in her first match back, winning the opening set against Badosa 6-1. But then, Halep’s level dropped and Badosa went on to complete a 1-6 6-4 6-3 win.
While Halep lost that day, she still left the court with a smile because she was grateful for how she was welcomed back by the Miami crowd. And afterward, the former world No. 1 admitted that before coming to Miami, she felt stressed and anxious because she wasn’t quite sure how would fans treat her.
“But the first day, it was incredible. So then the stress went out and I didn’t stress myself in this direction. I knew that on the court it’s going to be good. The crowd was incredible today again. So the love I received, it’s even more than anything that I had until now,” Halep said.
It remains to be seen how long it will take Halep to recover from her injury and return to action.