Simona Halep uncertain return timeline due to lingering knee injury

Former world number one Simona Halep has revealed that she still struggles with a knee injury. The 32-year-old has been out of action since May because of a knee injury. Her last appearance was in an event in Paris where she was knocked out of the competition in the round of 32 while facing McCartney Kessler as she was forced to retire.

The two-time Grand Slam winner was recently quoted in a report explaining that there is no timeline for her return. Halep further stated that she is having a hard time coping with the injury she has never had before and that she is taking her time deciding when to return to the court.

"It's an injury I have never had before and it has been a tough one to manage, with the pain persisting," said Halep. "I wanted to provide a little health update since I have been away from the court lately. It is not the best news, but I wanted to share all the same. For a few months now, I have been struggling with a knee injury. I have decided to take the time needed to recover properly, rather than training and playing through pain. My instinct has always been to try to come back as soon as possible, but I am not a machine, I am a human being and I need time to recover from everything I have gone through.”

Those comments mean that Halep’s participation in the last Grand Slam of the year — the US Open — is highly doubtful. The mega-event will be played from August 26 to September 08 where top players from all over the world will showcase their talent in New York to claim the ultimate prize. If that happens, it will mean that Halep will miss the eighth Grand Slam in the last two years. Her last appearance in the mega-event came back in the 2022 US Open, where she was knocked out after losing in the first round to Daria Snigur with a score of 6-2, 0-6, 6-4.

Halep has gone through a difficult phase as she was found positive for using banned substance in the doping test during the US Open 2024. After that, she was handed a four-year ban but it was reversed in her appeal in the Court of Arbitration of Sports (CAS). She finally returned to the court earlier this year in the Miami Open but has only managed to play two matches at the highest level.