Simona Halep has decided to postpone the start of her 2025 season due to knee and shoulder injuries and has withdrawn from the Australian Open qualifying matches.
The tournament organizers gave the 33-year-old former world No. 1 athlete a wildcard to compete at the event, but she admitted that she still feels uneasy even after competing in the World Tennis League showcase in Abu Dhabi.
Halep said in her social media post: “After discussing with my team at length, we agreed it is sensible to delay the start of my season.”
She added: “It’s not what I wanted but I would like to thank the tournament organizers in Auckland and Australia for the wild cards and I’m sorry I won’t be able to take them this time… I will rest up and intend for my next event to be in Cluj, where I can’t wait to play in front of the amazing Romanian fans.”
Now ranked 877 in the world, she will also miss the Auckland Classic, one of the primary warm-up events for the Australian Open. The athlete was reportedly handed a four-year doping penalty that was lowered to nine months, and she has consistently insisted that she is innocent.
January 12 marks the start of the 2025 Grand Slam after Australian Open qualifying matches from January 6 to January 9.
Source: BBC