World No.3 Simona Halep says she is unsure how long she will be away from the Tour after suffering an injury midway through her match at the Italian Open on Wednesday.
The two-time Grand Slam champion was leading Angelique Kerber 6-1, 3-3, in Rome before she was forced to stop due to pain in her left leg. Halep looked to be in discomfort during a couple points before bringing the match to a stop. Unable to move, an on-court trainer had to help her back to her seat where she received ice treatment on the back of her leg before retiring.
Following the retirement, Halep has confirmed she has suffered a tear in her left calf. The Romanian said it is unclear as to how severe the tear is or how long she will be absent from the Tour. The setback occurs less than three weeks before the start of the French Open. Halep’s most successful major in terms of match victories which she won back in 2018.
“Unfortunately an ultrasound has revealed that I have a tear in my left calf,” Halep said in a statement posted on social media.
“I will get an MRI tomorrow to understand the injury in more detail, but at the moment we are unsure of recovery time.’
“I’m so disappointed to end my tournament in Rome like this but I will do everything I can to take care of the injury and be back as soon as possible. Thanks so much for your support and I’ll keep you posted on my progress.”
The 29-year-old is yet to win a title this season and has enjoyed moderate success on the clay in recent weeks. In Stuttgart she reached the semi-finals before losing to Aryna Sabalenka. Then in Madrid she was ousted in three sets by Elise Mertens in the third Round.
Halep had been regarded as one of the title contenders for the French Open title given her success on the surface in her career. She now faces a race against time to be fit for the tournament which she has played at every single year since 2010.
As for Kerber, she will take on Jelena Ostapenko in the third round in Rome. A win would move her into the last eight of a WTA event for only the second time this year.
