Simona Halep will return to tennis at the Miami Open, and former WTA player Chris Evert is eager to see it.
It's been a long time since we last saw Halep play competitive tennis. It was the 2022 US Open, where she played against Daria Snigur and lost in three sets. After that match, she provided a doping sample, and a few weeks later, that same sample tested positive.
That started a long legal battle, with the Romanian aiming to prove her innocence, and she did. A few days ago, the Court of Arbitration of Sports reduced Halep's initial ban (4 years) to only nine months, which meant that she could compete again as that time had expired.
Her competitive return will happen at the upcoming Miami Open, as she was awarded a wild card entry into the event, and former player Chris Evert can't wait to see it. She's been a firm backer of Halep throughout this time, and in a conversation with iam Sport, Evert talked about her return.
"Simona can certainly return to the top of the world women's tennis. The break period was long, it's true, but she has an extremely strong character. And let's not forget the desire for rematch she has now. That could make the difference."
Nobody should really doubt that Halep is returning to tennis with a lot of fire and desire to prove herself again. Some colleagues said some shady things as well, so it will be interesting to see if Halep plays some of them. What makes Evert happy the most is that Halep alone makes the choice of whether to play or not.
"I know her and I think I'm good with people. I'm very happy for her. Simona is a person with a work ethic, extremely disciplined and principled when it comes to training and tennis. I never doubted her innocence for a second."
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