After losing in straight sets in her most recent WTA Tour comeback, former world number one Simona Halep admitted that she must practise being patient.
The 33-year-old athlete was just participating in her second highest-level match since being cleared to go back to competition after a doping ban. Following the reduction of her four-year ban to nine months, the two-time Grand Slam champion made her competitive comeback at the Miami Open last March.
At the Hong Kong Tennis Open, Halep lost to Yung Yae of China 6-3, 6-3. It was her first tour-level outing since Miami due to a knee injury.
She said: “My level was not bad at all but the opponent played really well and had confidence… I’m not happy with the way I played but it was much better than the previous match.”
Halep rebuilding her career
In order to restore her career, Halep, who is currently ranked 883rd in the world, is depending on receiving tournament wildcards to compete.
Asked about her future plans, she said: “It depends on the wildcards, but I just want to work harder because I need a stronger body to perform at this level… I will take it slow. I have to give myself patience and try to get better day by day.”
The former 2018 French Open champion and 2019 Wimbledon champion has been insisting that she is innocent despite being accused of two different doping offences. The Court of Arbitration for Sport partially sustained her argument, concluding that Halep had not purposely taken roxadustat, an anti-anaemia medication that increases the body’s synthesis of red blood cells. In addition, CAS dropped a second case related to anomalies in her athlete’s biological passport.
Source: BBC