Simona Halep has pulled out of subsequent week’s Madrid Open to work on her health, saying she wants extra time get bodily able to compete on the highest stage after being out of motion for over 18 months.
The previous Wimbledon and French Open champion had her four-year doping ban lower to 9 months in March and made her return as a wild card on the Miami Open, the place she fell within the first spherical to Paula Badosa.
“Sadly my physique wants just a little extra time to be prepared and I’ve made the powerful choice to not play in Madrid,” she wrote on X. “Robust as a result of I need to be again on tour asap, however expertise tells me to not rush. Thanks to @MutuaMadridOpen who supplied me the wild card and to my followers.”
Sadly my physique wants just a little extra time to be prepared and I’ve made the powerful choice to not play in Madrid. Robust as a result of I need to be again on tour asap, however expertise tells me to not rush. Thanks to @MutuaMadridOpen who supplied me the wild card and to my followers ♥️🙏 pic.twitter.com/s9ex85Otio
— Simona Halep (@Simona_Halep) April 21, 2024
The previous world No. 1 was suspended in October 2022 after testing optimistic on the US Open for roxadustat, a banned drug that stimulates the manufacturing of pink blood cells.
The 32-year-old was charged with one other offense final 12 months due to irregularities in her athlete organic passport, a device designed to watch completely different blood parameters over time to disclose potential doping.
However Halep, who denied any wrongdoing, was allowed to return to motion after the Court docket of Arbitration for Sport lower her ban to 9 months after accepting the Romanian’s clarification {that a} contaminated complement was in charge for her optimistic take a look at.
Halep was inside the highest 10 when she was suspended however has since seen her rating plummet to No. 1,146.
The WTA has begun a overview of its guidelines that would see gamers cleared of doping offenses or having their bans lowered return to the circuit with “particular rankings” sooner or later, the governing physique instructed Reuters final month.
