Two-time Grand Slam winner Simona Halep has accepted a wild-card entry into this month’s Miami Open, where she will make her return to the WTA Tour from a doping suspension.
The 32-year-old Romanian had her ban reduced from four years to nine months by the Court of Arbitration for Sport on Tuesday, clearing the way for an immediate return.
“I’m thrilled to let you all know that I will be making my return to the WTA Tour in two weeks at the @miamiopen!” she posted Thursday on Instagram. “Thank you to the tournament for giving me this opportunity and I cannot wait to be back on court and competing. See you all soon!”
Halep was provisionally suspended Oct. 7, 2022, meaning she already has served a penalty of more than nine months. The suspension came after she tested positive for the banned substance Roxadustat.
Halep has said her use of the drug, used to treat anemia associated with chronic kidney disease and also can increase endurance, was unintentional. The CAS agreed, saying it was probable that the drug likely “entered her body through the consumption of a contaminated supplement” in the days she used it before the start of U.S. Open, where her sample was collected, and that her “anti-doping rule violations were not intentional.”
She has not played since the U.S. Open in 2022 when she lost in the first round as the No. 7 seed to Ukrainian qualifier Daria Snigur.
Halep has 24 career victories on the WTA Tour, including the 2018 French Open and at Wimbledon in 2019, and has won $40.2 million in prize money. She reached No. 1 in October 2017.
–Field Level Media
