Simona Halep has been away from tennis for much of this year after returning in March following the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruling that allowed her to return to the sport.
The Romanian spent over a year away from tennis due to her doping saga, which featured her testing positive for a banned substance. The suspension was initially provisional but was upheld after an investigation by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA), resulting in a four-year ban.
She launched an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, and they overruled the suspension, reducing it to only nine months. As Halep had been away from the sport for over a year, it meant that she could return to the sport immediately.
She did that at the Miami Open and played one match, which was a losing effort against Paula Badosa. The Romanian played one more match at the WTA 125 event in Paris but didn't finish her match due to physical issues, which have plagued her since she returned.
A shoulder issue bothered the former World No. 1 player, and it was present in Miami as well, and there was also a knee issue that came up during her stay in Paris.
It's been months since then, but she has not made it back to the tennis courts yet. Returning so quickly showed her that it wasn't a good approach, as her body wasn't ready for that level of competition yet.
She would only risk further aggravating her injury, so she's been working on her comeback since then. There isn't a clear timetable for when she will return, but the Romanian confirmed to the media in her native country that she hopes to return to the courts by October.
It means that Halep will be competing in Asia, as she mentioned the Hong Kong Open in October as an event she's targeting a return at.
"It's hard to say now because I'm still recovering with my knee, I plan to go play a tournament in Hong Kong at the end of October. I really wish for it, because I miss it, I feel the lack of competition and I hope to be healthy and ready to play. That's the plan for now."
Halep's main goal is to get in a few matches by the end of the year so she can gauge her physical and tennis performance. If that goes well and she remains healthy, she will likely look to make 2025 count.
What is certain is that she's not close to giving up on tennis, as she's still focused on getting back on the courts and seeing if she can do anything. According to Sportmedia.ro, the Romanian was given a chance to be the tournament director for the Ion Tiriac-backed event in Bucharest.
Still, she declined that option as she's fully focused on her career. Perhaps she will explore this option in the future because there is no greater ambassador for tennis in Romania than Halep, who was number one on the WTA Tour during her tennis career.
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