Simona Halep Withdraws from Australian Open and Auckland Tournament Due to Injury
Romanian tennis star Simona Halep, a former world No. 1 attempting to return after a doping suspension, has withdrawn from the Australian Open qualifiers and an upcoming warm-up tournament in Auckland due to knee and shoulder pain.
Despite her current ranking of 877th, which would not normally grant her access to the event, the 33-year-old Halep had received an invitation to the qualifiers for the first Grand Slam of the year in Melbourne next month. She was also scheduled to play in the WTA 250 tournament in Auckland from December 30 to January 5.
Halep took to Instagram to announce that her 2025 season would be delayed. “After discussing with my team, we agreed that it was reasonable to delay the start of my season,” she wrote. Halep, who was eliminated in the Round of 16 by France’s Alizé Cornet in her last appearance at Melbourne Park in 2022, expressed her intention to rest and prepare for her next competition in Cluj, Romania. “I am excited to play in front of the incredible Romanian supporters,” she added, referring to the WTA 250 event in Cluj-Napoca scheduled for February.
Halep was initially handed a four-year suspension following a positive test at the 2022 US Open and a biological passport anomaly. However, in March 2024, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) reduced her ban to nine months, allowing her return to competition at the Miami Open. The former world No. 1 continues to deny any intentional doping.
The Australian Open qualifiers are set to take place from January 6 to 9, 2025, with the main draw beginning on January 12.
