Simona Halep has withdrawn from this week’s Billie Jean King Cup due to medical reasons, altering her plans to play for Romania against Ukraine. Instead, she is following the path taken by Elina Svitolina in her successful comeback, opting to participate in a lower-level tournament.
In a statement regarding her decision, Halep referenced Svitolina’s successful return, saying, “I will follow in the footsteps of Elina Svitolina, who played this very tournament last year before her remarkable comeback.”
This decision also aligns with Caroline Wozniacki’s desire for Halep to restart her career at a lower level, particularly after comments made about wildcards for players with doping histories.
The situation escalated further when both players received wildcards for the Madrid tournament, sparking a war of words. Halep’s comments regarding Maria Sharapova’s similar treatment during her doping ban added fuel to the fire. However, Halep reiterated that she did not intentionally dope, a sentiment supported by her coach Carlos Martinez, as confirmed by MARCA.
OFFICIAL: Portuguese Tennis Federation confirm the four wild cards for the WTA 125 next week in Oeiras:
Simona Halep
Kristina Mladenovic
Francisca Jorge
Matilde Jorge pic.twitter.com/FywvykOkB7— José Morgado (@josemorgado) April 8, 2024
Halep is set to compete between April 15-21 and has been diligently training in Bucharest to prepare for the upcoming clay court season. Her decision to restart her career at a lower level reflects her determination to regain top form and achieve success on the tennis court once again.
Simona Halep in 2024
Currently the world no.578, the Romanian played her last match on the 19th of March when she surrendered to world no.91 Paula Badosa 1-6 6-4 6-3 in the 1st round in Miami (draw).
This year Simona achieved a compiled 0-1 win-loss record.
Simona Halep |
| Embed from Getty Images |
