Simona Halep's comeback derailed as Romanian is forced to quit midway through her 1R Trophee Clarins 125K match in Paris with knee injury

Simona Halep's comeback to the European clay swing was derailed as she was forced to exit her first-round match at the Trophee Clarins due to a knee injury. She was playing against the USA's Mccartney Kessler.

Halep kicked off the 125K clay event in Paris on a positive note as she clinched the first set 7-5 against Kessler. She was trailing 3-2 in the second set when she decided to quit the match due to a persistent knee injury she has struggled with since the 2024 Miami Open in March.

The Romanian debuted at the Miami Gardens against Spain's Paula Badosa after her well-documented doping suspension. She won the first set 6-1, but failed to continue with the momentum as the Spaniard completed a comeback victory by winning the next two sets 6-4, 6-3.

After her withdrawal from the Trophee Clarins, Halep stopped for a brief chat with the media where she outlined the reason behind her decision to quit. She stated that the knee was causing great discomfort and she felt unsafe on the court.

"A little bit of pain in the knee and the court was a little bit heavy and it's swollen so I felt like it's dangerous to continue and I felt big pain," Halep said.

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Simona Halep denied wildcard by French Open

Simona Halep

Simona Halep was recently hit with the unfortunate news of not being awarded a wildcard into the 2024 French Open women's singles draw. The season's second Grand Slam is scheduled to begin on Sunday, May 26.

Halep is a former champion at Roland Garros, having won the singles title in 2018 by defeating Sloane Stephens 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 in the summit clash. Prior to that, she eliminated Alison Amritraj-Riske, Taylor Townsend, Andrea Petkovic, Elise Mertens, Angelique Kerber, and Garbine Muguruza.

The Romanian has also played in two more finals at the Claycourt Major in 2014 and 2017. She faced a 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-4 defeat against Maria Sharapova in 2014 and was defeated 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 by Jelena Ostapenko in the second.

Simona Halep hasn't competed in a Grand Slam since testing positive for roxadustat, a prohibited substance, following a first-round exit from the 2022 US Open. She was originally handed a four-year ban, which was reduced to nine months earlier this year.

Halep had already been away from the sport for over nine months when the decision was made, allowing her to return to competitive action immediately.