Two-time Grand Slam winner Simona Halep of Romania made her return to professional tennis at the Miami Open after a doping ban was lifted, but faced a tough defeat against Spain's Paula Badosa with scores of 1-6, 6-4, 6-3.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport had reduced Halep's ban from four years to nine months earlier this month. She had been provisionally suspended since September 2022 after testing positive for roxadustat during the 2022 U.S. Open, where she played her last match and suffered a first-round exit.
As the 2018 French Open champion, Halep is focused on regaining her form in preparation for the upcoming clay court Grand Slam event set to take place in two months. Despite the loss, Halep remains optimistic about her performance and future.
\"It felt really good,\" Halep shared. \"I had emotions, positive emotions to see the crowd supporting me was so nice and gave me a lot of energy and the level of tennis was pretty good, unexpected I think, for most of the people.\"
\"It is a special day,\" she added, reflecting on her return to the court.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
