Simona Halep played another official tennis match and won, marking it as the first time she has won a match since her doping saga started back in 2022.
Halep is one of the biggest names in tennis, and while her public profile may have diminished in recent years, she remains a beloved figure among fans and fellow players. At her peak, she was a tremendous player, a Grand Slam champion, and the world number one, among many other achievements.
Her career suffered a major blow in 2022 when she tested positive for a banned substance, roxadustat, which created a storm of unpleasant events for the Romanian, described by many as a witch hunt.
After months of battling in court, Halep was initially handed a four-year suspension, which essentially ended her career on the spot. By the time she would be eligible to play again, she would be 35 and unlikely to win trophies again.
She appealed that ruling in the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and won, reducing her punishment to only nine months, which allowed her to return to tennis immediately, as she had been away from the sport for over a year by that time.
Halep received a wildcard into the Miami Open earlier this year, as she was cleared just ahead of the event, and took it. In her first match back, she faced Paula Badosa, and while the first set went well, she ultimately did not win the match.
She skipped some events after that and returned at a WTA 125K event in Paris on clay a few weeks later. However, she did not finish that match, retiring due to some knee issues.
Upon her return, she has generally been dealing with various problems, from shoulder to knee issues. It became clear that she needed to take time off to properly address all of those issues before committing to play again, so she did just that.
Halep spent much of the summer working through her physical issues, and now that she finally felt good enough to play, she did. This happened at the WTA 125K event in Hong Kong, where she faced Arina Rodionova.
It was a complicated match because she needed three sets to win, but she ultimately prevailed. It was a huge emotional release for Halep, who hadn't won in over two years.
Her last win before this one came on August 16th, 2022, against Anastasia Potapova in Cincinnati. It's been over two years since then, so it was a significant achievement. She also wrote a short message on social media to thank everyone who supported her throughout this time.
"Words cannot describe the feeling of being out there on court competing - and winning my first match after such a long period - in the sport I love. Thank you for all your support and your love, it means the world to me."
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