Former world No.1 Simona Halep has described her latest experience with injury as the worst of her career and remains unsure about how she will feel in her upcoming matches at the Canadian Open.
The two-time Grand Slam champion hasn’t played on the Tour since suffering a calf injury during her second round match at the Italian Open in May. An MRI later revealed that she had suffered a tear in the upper region of her left calf. The Romanian attempted to return to action at Wimbledon but was unsuccessful and was also forced to miss the Olympics in Tokyo.
Reflecting on her latest injury setback, Halep said it was the ‘hardest time’ in her career due to the severity of the injury. She will be hoping to make up for lost time at the Canadian Open in Montreal which she has won on two previous occasions in 2016 and 2018. Although the Romanian admits she is unsure about how she will fair.
“Anything is possible after such an injury. I had never been through something like this, a torn muscle. The doctors told me that I have recovered; I feel recovered, but in an official match it is different,” Halep told reporters ahead of her flight to Canada.
“So I will see when I get there. It was the hardest time of my career because it was a pretty serious injury, I had never met anything like that, but I took the positive side and I was glad to stay home.”
The 29-year-old confirmed that she is now playing pain-free once again as she aims to get back in full shape in time for the US Open which will begin at the end of this month. It is the only Grand Slam where she is yet to reach the final in her career.
“I’m much better now, I’ve rested mentally. But I’m also physically well; I didn’t have any pain while I trained. Now I hope to be able to play the tournaments. I intend to be healthy and play as many matches as possible,” she continued.
“I am missing the field, I am missing competition, and I know it will be very difficult at the beginning, but I’m not afraid. I will go there with confidence and I will see what I can do. The time I spent at home was very nice. It’s always pleasant to be at home and hard to leave. But I’m motivated for what’s next, my mind is there.”
Halep is currently ranked 10th in the world. If she falls down the rankings any further it will be the first time she has exited the world’s top 10 since January 2014. So far in her career she has won 22 WTA titles and has earned more than $37.5M in prize money.
The Canadian Open main draw will get underway on Monday.
