Halep was blocked from Sinner's Paris Masters clash: "It was too painful to know that I'm banned"

Simona Halep was banned from attending a Jannik Sinner match while she was suspended. The former world No. 1 was provisionally suspended in 2022 for doping and later received a four-year ban for taking Roxadustat. After appealing, the ban was reduced, and she returned to the Tour in March at the Miami Open.

However, the much-anticipated return didn’t go as expected for Halep. The Romanian has only played in two events so far, and injuries have prevented her from competing since May this year at a WTA 125 event. Additionally, her lack of ranking forces her to request wildcards to participate in WTA-level tournaments.

The last two years have been a nightmare for Halep, who suddenly had to face an unexpected doping ban. Back in 2022, the 2-time Grand Slam champion had won the WTA 1000 Canadian Open and reached world No. 6, but she was stunned in the first round of the US Open, which would be her last match for over 18 months.

After receiving the doping ban, Halep would only be able to return to the courts in 2026. This not only meant that she couldn't compete, but she was also barred from attending ATP, WTA, ITF, and Grand Slam events as a spectator: “You know, I’ve never been in jail, and hopefully I'll never be, but they say, many people told me it looks like you are in jail,” Simona Halep told We Are Tennis. “I could not go watch a tennis match. This was the most difficult thing.”

The former world No. 1 was unable to attend Jannik Sinner’s match at the Paris Masters. The Italian works with Darren Cahill, Halep’s former coach, who has maintained a close relationship with the Romanian for years: “So, they told me, I wanted to go to Paris Bercy to see Sinner, and I was not able,” she said. “So, what did I do that bad that I'm not able to watch a match? This is too much, in my opinion. When I got the freedom, it was like a relief and the light came back.”

“I did not watch much,” Halep added. “Because it was too painful to know that I'm banned and I cannot even play or I cannot even watch in life. I said, I'm not going to watch the TV. I watched, I think, maximum eight, ten matches in two years.”

“It has been a very difficult period (almost two years) mentally and emotionally for me, and struggling physically on top of that definitely doesn’t help. 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.”