Simona Halep‘s return to tennis after a doping ban has been overshadowed by a fitness crisis, which is now affecting her clay court season. Having withdrawn from last week’s Oeiras Ladies Open, the Romanian has made the decision to also skip the Mutua Madrid Open in order to give herself more time to get physically ready.
The 32-year-old Halep made a much-anticipated return to the Hologic WTA Tour last month at the Miami Open. Her comeback followed the reduction of her four-year ban to nine months upon appeal.