Simona Halep has landed in Miami and held her first practice there as everything is set for the two-time Grand Slam champion to launch her tennis comeback.
Last Tuesday, 32-year-old Halep was officially cleared to return to tennis after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) announced that the Romanian’s four-year doping ban was reduced from four years to nine months. Since Halep had been suspended since 2022 October, the CAS decision meant that the former world No. 1 was allowed to return to the sport immediately.
Two days later, Halep’s first tournament back was confirmed after the Miami Open decided to give the Romanian a main draw wildcard.
“First day back, thank you @miamiopen,” Halep captioned her Instagram Story from Miami.
In the post, Halep also cheekily added: “Feels like I never left (face with tongue out emoji).”
Simona Halep© Simona Halep – Instagram
Halep set to play in Miami for the ninth time
When Halep kicks off her campaign in Miami – which is scheduled to start on March 19th – she will be making her ninth appearance at the tournament but also playing for the first time since the 2022 US Open.
In Miami, Halep debuted in 2011 when she beat Agnieszka Radwanska in the first round before losing to Svetlana Kuznetsova in her following match. After back-to-back third-round exits at the tournament in 2012 and 2013, Halep made her first big Miami result in 2015 by reaching the semifinal.
After losing in the 2015 Miami semifinal to Serena Williams, Halep made her second semifinal at the tournament in 2019 – but again lost in the same stage, this time to Karolina Pliskova.
Three years ago, Halep reached the third round in Miami before giving a walkover to Anastaija Sevastova due to a right shoulder injury.
Simona Halep© Getty Images Sport – Al Bello
For Halep, arriving early in Miami and having a full week of practice and time to adjust to the conditions could certainly help.
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