Simona Halep will return to action at the Miami Open after all on March 17 after accepting a wildcard which was mooted earlier on Thursday afternoon.
Halep was cleared to return to tennis with immediate effect earlier this week serving nine months of a four year ban. This after she appealed to Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne, Switzerland.
James Blake who is tournament director in Miami sent her a letter which seemed to be a request for her to take a wildcard. This means she will return earlier than expected with the potential before for her to return during the clay court season.
“I’m thrilled to let you all know that I will be making my return to the WTA Tour in two weeks at the Miami Open. Thank you to the tournament for giving me this opportunity and I cannot wait to be back on the court and competing. See you all soon,” she wrote on social media.
She has not played since September 2022 at the US Open serving nearly a two year absence after testing positive after Flushing Meadows. Now the former World No.1 is back and aiming to make up for lost time.