Simona
Halep commented on her desires to qualify for the upcoming Paris Olympics but
acknowledged that her chances are minimal. The former world No. 1 exited in the
first round of the Miami Open against Paula Badosa, although after 19 months of
absence, she showed a good level of tennis.
At 32 years
old, Halep saw her doping ban reduced, which initially would not have allowed
her to compete until 2026, and she immediately returned to the WTA Tour, albeit
without points or ranking at the moment.
Nevertheless,
the 2-time Grand Slam champion acknowledged that she would like to participate
in the
Olympic Games, knowing that her chances are low with the little time she
has to accumulate points.
"I
would very much like to be able to qualify, but from what I understand, the
chances are minimal. To play in the Olympics in Paris would be wonderful, but I
don't want to get my hopes up too high. The chances are minimal, because I
don't have ranking and I have to be in the first 60-70, something like
that," she said.
The top 56
ranked tennis players qualify for the Olympics, with a limit of four players
per country. Countries like the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, and the
Czech Republic have more than four players within the qualifying zone, so the
last qualifiers could be close to around the world No. 70. This implies that
the Romanian must have around 1000 points by the deadline.
For this,
the ranking after Wimbledon will be considered, meaning that Halep has to earn
points in the season on clay, a surface that suits her well as a former French
Open champion, and then on grass, where she was also a champion of her second
Grand Slam at Wimbledon. However, Halep also depends on getting some wildcards
to enter the main tournaments.