Not everything has gone as planned for the Romanians in this year. She devoted a significant portion of last year to attempting to establish her innocence in court, and things appeared to be going well when the Court of Arbitration for Sport issued its decision about her doping case earlier this year. The 32-year-old athlete seized the opportunity and made haste to Miami. She competed in the WTA 1000 competition there, making her court debut after more than a year off. She seemed to have a shoulder issue, so her first game back wasn’t ideal by any means, but it was encouraging that she could play and complete.
Due to her shoulder injury, her supporters had to wait until the following match, which wasn’t until May at the WTA 125K tournament in Paris, which preceded Roland Garros. She entered the courts, took the first set, but retired in the second set due to knee injury. That wasn’t good since, in general—especially for athletes—knee problems are fairly obvious due to movement and abrupt changes in direction, and this was one of them.
For Halep, it was a knee injury that has caused her problems ever since. After that, she hasn’t played another match, and as long as the injury lasts, we won’t see her return to the courts. She updated her Instagram followers on her current situation.
“Hey everyone, Since I haven’t been on the court lately, I wanted to give you a little health report. Even though this isn’t the greatest news, I still wanted to share.” “I’ve been dealing with a knee issue for a few months. I have never experienced an accident like this before, and because of the ongoing agony, it has been difficult to handle.”
Halep has had a really difficult two years; she struggled with injuries this past year and was suspended for the whole of the previous one. She’s not a machine, though, so she needs some time to fully heal before considering going back. “I’ve been going through a really tough time (nearly two years) psychologically and emotionally, and having physical struggles on top of that doesn’t help either. Rather than continuing to train and compete while in pain, I have made the decision to take the time necessary to fully recuperate.”
Halep’s return to the court is uncertain, but one thing is certain: It won’t happen very soon. She probably won’t be able to play much more this year, but she should be back to full health next year. “My natural tendency has always been to attempt to return as quickly as possible, but since I am a human being and not a machine, I need time to heal from all that has happened to me. I want to thank you once again for your unwavering support and promise to keep you updated. I intend to return to the court shortly.”
