Not everyone is happy about Simona Halep’s comeback to tennis.
Halep returned to play at the Miami Open on Tuesday after a court ruled that a four-year suspension for doping be dropped.
But fellow player Caroline Wozniacki is calling “fault.”
The former world No. 1 returned to competition as a wild card following more than 18 months on the sideline while she litigated a doping ban.
“If someone has tested positive for doping, I understand why a tournament wants a big star in the tournament, but it’s my belief, and it’s not a knock on anyone, that I don’t think people should be awarded wild cards afterwards,” Wozniacki said. “If you want to come back, and it’s been a mistake, I understand, you should work your way up from the bottom.
Simona Halep, 32, lost her opening match at the Miami Open.
“Simona’s situation has dragged on for a long time. She got her suspension reduced. It wasn’t a clearance, it was a reduced sentence. I just hope for a clean sport. That’s all I want. I want to have good role models for the young generation. It’s a sport that has a lot of money in it, a lot of competitiveness, a lot of competitors. I want a fair fight.”
But Halep blasted Wozniacki’s comments.
“Why did she say that? I didn’t do anything wrong. I didn’t cheat. I didn’t dope,” Halep proclaimed. “Thank you to the tournament for giving me the wild card and have the possibility to play in such a big tournament. It was great to be back.”
“Only one person being negative about me is not that important because I have hundreds of people that are giving me love, so I will take that.”
Halep had not played on tour since testing positive for the banned drug roxadustat at the 2022 U.S. Open. Halep maintained, asserting she was innocent and the failed test was the result of being exposed to a contaminated supplement.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport cut the four-year ban Halep received in 2023 to nine months. The suspension was over on time served, effectively.
The Miami Open then gave Halep a wild-card invitation to enter the tournament’s field.
Halep, a former Wimbledon and French Open champion, lost the match 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 to Paula Badosa.
“I came because the boost, the love for tennis, just brought me here,” Halep said.
Wozniacki, 33, is back on tour after a three-year break during which she became mother to two children. She accepted wild-card berths into prestigious hardcourt tournaments when she began her comeback in the summer of 2023.
