Two-time Grand Slam champion Simona Halep withdrew from qualifying for the Australian Open, delaying the start of the 2025 season.
The 33-year-old earned a wildcard into the Australian Open qualifiers and the Auckland Classic, which begins live on Monday. sky sports tennis Names such as Britain’s Emma Raducanu are in contention.
Halep will miss at least a month due to knee and shoulder pain after playing in an exhibition event in Abu Dhabi earlier this month.
She is scheduled to begin the season at the Transylvania Open in early February.
“After playing in Abu Dhabi, unfortunately I felt pain in my knee and shoulder again,” she posted on social media.
“After extensive discussions with the team, we agreed that it would be prudent to delay the start of the season.
“This is not what I wanted, but I would like to thank the tournament organizers in Auckland and Australia for giving me a wild card. I am disappointed that I will not get it this time.”
Halep, whose four-year ban for doping was reduced to nine months, last played on the WTA Tour in Hong Kong in October.
She was runner-up at the 2018 Australian Open and won major titles at Roland Garros later that year and Wimbledon in 2019.
Halep is currently ranked 877th in the world and has not played in a Grand Slam since 2022 due to a doping scandal.
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