Simona Halep withdraws from Madrid Open to work on fitness

Simona Halep, aged 32, has decided to withdraw from the upcoming Madrid Open in order to focus on improving her fitness.

The Romanian tennis player believes that she needs more time to physically prepare herself to compete at the highest level, especially after being out of action for over 18 months.

Despite her eagerness to return to the tour as soon as possible, Halep understands the importance of not rushing her comeback.

She expressed her gratitude to the Mutua Madrid Open for offering her a wildcard entry and thanked her fans for their support.

Halep, a former Wimbledon and French Open champion, had her four-year doping ban reduced to nine months by the top court for global sport in March.

She made her return to the court as a wildcard participant at the Miami Open, where she unfortunately lost in the first round to Paula Badosa.

Halep's suspension was initially imposed in October 2022 after testing positive for the banned drug roxadustat at the U.S. Open that year. She also faced another charge last year due to irregularities in her athlete biological passport.

However, the Court of Arbitration for Sport accepted Halep's explanation that a contaminated supplement was responsible for her positive drug test, leading to a reduction in her ban.

Despite her absence from competition, Halep remains determined to make a comeback and regain her former ranking.

The WTA is currently reviewing its rules, which may allow players cleared of doping offenses or those with reduced bans to return to the circuit with "special rankings" in the future.