Simona Halep won't be playing at the 2024 Madrid Open despite initial plans to compete at the WTA 1000 tournament in the Spanish capital.
The Romanian's comeback to tennis hasn't really gone as fans might have expected so far. She swiftly returned just days after being allowed back to compete at the Miami Open.
She faced Paula Badosa in the first round of the tournament and lost in three sets after winning the first set 6-1. After that exit, Halep planned to play several smaller events to get back into playing shape.
The match against Badosa showed her that she was close but ultimately not good enough to compete against the best players yet. That's why she wanted to play some smaller events and, towards that end, accepted a wild card entry into the Oeiras Open.
She withdrew from that event a bit later, with plans to play at the Madrid Open. Unfortunately, she won't be playing at the Madrid Open either because she withdrew from that event as well.
The reason for her withdrawal is health issues that were present when she came back to Miami as well. Halep dealt with some minor issues at the event, and it seems like the issues are persistent enough for her to miss more time.
Ultimately, she doesn't want to risk an injury because that will keep her away from tennis even more, and that's the last thing she wants after having to spend over a year on the sidelines.
The former world no. 1 will now probably take more time to fully heal up and be ready for the only clay-court major - the Roland Garros. That's only a few weeks away, but injury issues don't go away overnight. She needs the added time to get fit, because it's been just a very long period that she spent away from the sport.
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