Halep Receives Miami Open Wild Card Two Days After Being Cleared With Doping Case
WTA
Simona Halep revealed her first tournament back as she received a wild card for the 2024 Miami Open.
On March 5, 2024, the Romanian player got her ban reduced to nine months by the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS), which meant that she could immediately return to the WTA Tour.
It wasn't clear when she would make her return, but it seems that she wasn't ready to wait around. A few hours after the official announcement, a report came out suggesting that Halep could receive a Miami Open wild card.
That materialized only a few hours later, as Halep announced on her Instagram profile that she would be making comeback at the 2024 Miami Open, as she was granted a wild card for the tournament.
"I’m thrilled to let you all know that I will be making my return to the WTA Tour in two weeks at the Miami Open! Thank you to the tournament for giving me this opportunity and I cannot wait to be back on court and competing. See you all soon!"
The second leg of the famed Sunshine Double runs from March 19th to 31st, and while it will be a great opportunity for the Romanian to show that she has been practicing, her comeback will likely generate also a lot of media attention.
The Miami Open is one of the very few WTA 1000 tournaments that Halep couldn't win in her career, as she reached the semi-finals in 2015 and 2019 and quarter-finals in 2016 and 2017.
This time around, it will be about proving that she belongs on the WTA Tour. The former world no. 1 dedicated a lot of time to clear her name, and she finally won the fight.
Currently unranked, the 32-year-old is entering the final stage of her career, and it will start in Miami.
