Simona Halep makes ‘super tough decision’ to withdraw from three events after injury setback

WTA Tour
Simona Halep chats to the media

Simona Halep will miss three tournaments, starting with the Miami Open, after an MRI showed that her thigh injury is more serious than initially thought.

The two-time Grand Slam winner picked up the injury during her semi-final defeat in Indian Wells last week, but was confident she would be fit for her Miami opener against Daria Saville on Thursday.

However, scans have showed a tear in the thigh muscle, forcing her to withdraw from her clash against Saville at the last minute while she will also miss the Charleston Cup and Billie Jean King Cup.

“I had been struggling with the thigh since my semi-final in Indian Wells and hoped it would improve, but I went for an MRI last night and unfortunately it showed a tear,” the former world No 1 wrote on Twitter.

“My body needs time to heal and as a result I will be out of competition for three weeks. This means I have had to make the super tough decision to pull out of Miami, Charleston and Fed Cup.

“While it feels like really disappointing news to share, I am keeping the confidence from my great start to the year and am motivated to do everything to be ready for the clay-court season. Thanks for your continued support through the highs and lows, Simo 🤗”

Halep is likely to return at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart where she reached the semi-final last year, losing against Aryna Sabalenka, with the event starting on April 18.

The first WTA 1000 clay-court event of the season, the Madrid Open, will start on April 25 before the red dirt season moves to Rome for Italian Open.

Simona Halep

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