Simona Halep had been set to continue her comeback to the sport at the WTA 125 tournament in Oeiras but the Romanian has now changed her mind.
It is a major blow to the event in Portugal. Getting someone of Halep's caliber to play at WTA 125 level is rare. Her presence certainly would have had a major impact on attendance at the tournament.
Halep had initially said she wanted to play as many matches as possible when announcing her initial involvement in Oeiras, but she has changed her approach to a more cautious one.
In fact, this is the 2019 Wimbledon champion's second withdrawal in a short space of time. Halep also pulled out of Romania's Billie Jean King Cup tie, which is taking place this week against Ukraine.
In a story on her Instagram page, Halep announced her decision not to play in Oeiras and gave the reason for it, saying it was down to how her body was reacting to being back in full training.
"Change of plans! My body is telling me it needs more time to adjust to being back in full training. I don't want to rush as I make my comeback so I won't be playing in Oeiras next week."
Halep is quite general in her description, just saying her body as a whole needs some time to adjust. Yet, there have been reports that the Romanian could be nursing an injury that she is being careful with.
According to AntenaSport, the two-time Grand Slam champion has an issue with her knee. Halep has a wildcard for the Madrid Open starting on April 23rd, meaning any caution on her part is completely understandable.
Halep's return to the sport remains one of the biggest stories in tennis. Hopefully, she will be fully fit and firing when fans see her competing in tournaments again after her comeback in Miami.
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