"I'm very nervous, I felt like I don't know what to expect" - Simona Halep on her tennis comeback following doping ban reduction 

Simona Halep recently admitted that she felt nervous when she returned to the tennis court at the 2024 Miami Open for the first time since her doping ban was lifted.

At the 2022 US Open, Simona Halep tested positive for Roxadustat. In May 2023, she received more charges from the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) for athletes' biological passport irregularities, leading to a four-year ban in September 2023. However, she appealed to the Council of Arbitration for Sports, and her ban was cut to nine months in March 2024.

Halep then returned to the WTA Tour at the 2024 Miami Open, where she was knocked out in the first round by Paula Badosa with scores of 1-6, 6-4, 6-3.

In a recent AP interview, the former World No. 1 admitted feeling nervous about her return to the WTA Tour and confided in her mom. She also mentioned that the routine felt unfamiliar to her.

“I’m very nervous, I felt like I don’t know what to expect from people (in Miami). How it’s going to be — to be in the locker room again. Players’ dining (area). All this routine that I didn’t do for almost two years, it looked new for me,” Simona Halep said

Halep added that it was a great feeling to return to a sport she loves and is now motivated to do her best.

“So it was a great feeling, a great energy, and I was really happy deep down that I am, again, part of tennis and part of this sport that I love. So for me, it was a great experience, much better than I expected. And this made me feel that, OK, now I want to go back and do my best and see how good I can be, still,” Halep added

Simona Halep - “the love that I received from the people…helped me to just forget everything”

Halep- National Bank Open Toronto

During the same interview, the two-time Grand Slam champion said that the support she received from organizers, fans, and players helped her move past the doping ban, making her feel as though she had never left.

“And when I arrived on-site, the love that I received from the people that are working for the tournament, the security, and all the people around, and also the players, helped me to just forget everything. And it felt like I never (was) away,”

Simona Halep's next tournament will be the 2024 Oeiras Ladies Open in Portugal, where she has accepted a wild card to participate.