Simona Halep ‘excited’ after announcing next tournament
Simona Halep is continuing her return from a nine-month doping ban next week, after receiving a wildcard for the Oeiras Open in Portugal.
Halep spent 19 months on the sidelines after being suspended at the 2022 US Open, following testing positive for banned substance roxadustat.
The Romanian was subsequently banned for four years by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA), meaning that Halep would be unable to return until 2026.
However, after appealing Halep had her suspension reduced to nine months and was able to return to the WTA Tour straight away.
Halep made her official return at the Miami Open, after receiving a wildcard, losing in the first round to former world No.2 Paula Badosa.
After withdrawing from Romania’s Billie Jean King Cup squad, Halep has been awarded another wildcard to play at the Oeiras Ladies Open next week.
The two-time Grand Slam champion will be dropping down a level to play at the WTA 125 tournament, that features Camila Osorio as the top seed.
“I’m very excited to add a new tournament to my calendar,” Halep said following the announcement of her wildcard. “On my return to the WTA circuit, I intend to play as many matches as possible and accepting this wildcard gives me the opportunity to do so in front of the Portuguese public. I want to thank the tournament for having me and I can’t wait to be there.”
Halep will play at the Oeiras Ladies Open next week before heading to Madrid, where she is a two-time champion and has received a wildcard for the WTA 1000 event.
✔️ Simona Halep
✔️ Caroline Wozniacki
✔️ Martín Landaluce
✔️ Kei NishikoriThese are the first wildcards for the main draw at the 2024 #MMOPEN!
— #MMOPEN (@MutuaMadridOpen) April 3, 2024
Inside the baseline…
It is probably a sensible decision from Simona Help to drop down to a lower level, as she needs matches more than anything after such a lengthy time out. The topic of Halep receiving wildcards after a doping ban is a controversial one, but it was always going to happen, with the former world No.1 bringing fans in to watch the tournament both in the stadiums and at home.
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