Simona Halep withdraws from competing in the Australian Open due to knee and shoulder pain

Former world number 1, tennis player Simona Halep withdrew from qualifying for the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the season, which will be held in January. The Romanian announced, this Thursday, that the decision was due to pain in her knee and shoulder. Therefore, she will also miss a preparatory tournament in Auckland, New Zealand.

Halep posted on her social media that she felt unwell after participating in an exhibition event in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates. “After discussing at length with my team, we have agreed that it is sensible to postpone the start of my season,” Halep wrote. “It wasn’t what I wanted,” added the 33-year-old tennis player, currently ranked 877th in the WTA rankings.

The tennis player returned to competing last year, after a doping suspension. In 2022, she tested positive for the banned substance uvadustat and, in 2023, received a four-year punishment from court hook, but appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and had the sentence reduced to nine months. Since then, he has suffered from physical problems and lackluster performances.

Last week, the Romanian received a “wild card” to compete in the Australian Grand Slam qualifying tournament, in which she was runner-up in 2018. That year, she won the title at Roland Garros and, in 2019, at Wimbledon. Since returning to the courts, the tennis player has not yet competed in a Grand Slam.

Thus, Halep plans her return at the Transylvania Open, in her home country, which will be played from February 3rd. The Australian Open qualifying will begin on January 6th and the main draw will take place on the 12th.