"I'm old, I'm not that young anymore": Simona Halep set to manage schedule on tour return, isn't sure on next step after sudden Miami wildcard

WTA
Sunday, 24 March 2024 at 22:30
Halep Simona RolandGarros2018
Simona Halep discussed her next steps on the WTA Tour following her return at the Miami Open, where she fell in the first round to Paula Badosa by 6-1, 4-6, 3-6. The former world No. 1 had been out of professional competition for 19 months but showed a good level of competitiveness.
The news of the Romanian's return came just a week before the start of the tournament in Miami. Halep's appeal to the CAS reduced her suspension to 9 months and considering that she had already been suspended for more than 15 months, it was determined that Halep could return to the WTA Tour immediately.
The 2-times Grand Slam champion never stopped training and preparing to return to competition, as she repeatedly showed on social media. However, her return was abrupt. Halep acknowledged that it was not in her plans to return in hardcourt tournaments.
“To be honest, I was thinking that I would come back on clay to have a little bit of time to take a breath and settle down. But the positive feeling was so big, and I had some people around me who told me you have to go to feel the energy again," she said. “It was the right decision, the best decision to come to Miami, to feel the energy, to feel the love of people and to feel the freedom again,” Halep added.
The Romanian acknowledged that she doesn't have a clear scheduling plan for the upcoming months but hopes to compete as much as possible, considering her age of 32: “I don't have a plan. It's just the first tournament, and I don't know what the plan is going to be, but I want to play as much as possible to get the rhythm back.”
“I'm old. I'm not that young anymore and I have to manage the comeback very well. I don't want to get injured. Most people told me to be worried about it because 18 months is a lot and I have to take it slow. So I have to talk to Carlos and we're going to decide together, for sure.”
“I just want to enjoy the joy that I have. It's been incredible this week. Even if I lost first round, it doesn't matter. It's not about tennis these days. It's about my personal feelings, how I feel as a human being, and I feel great.”
“So I want to keep this feeling, and I want it to help me in future tournaments because I know I'm very excited now, but there are going to be moments when I will be like, ‘Why am I here?’ So it's going to be difficult, in a way, but I want to make it easier by enjoying playing tennis,” Simona Halep concluded.

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