Simona Halep withdraws from Tokyo Olympics due to calf injury, says missing the Games is "incredibly hard to swallow"

Simona Halep has become the latest high-profile tennis player to withdraw from the Tokyo Olympics next month. The Romanian is yet to recover from the calf injury that forced her to miss her title defense at Wimbledon.

The 29-year-old Constanta native was expected to be the flag bearer for Romania in only her second appearance at the quadrennial competition. Halep played in the London Olympics in 2012 (lost in the first round to Yaroslava Shvedova) but missed the Rio Olympics four years owing to the threat of the Zika virus.

In a statement confirming her withdrawal, Halep said she was disappointed to miss the chance to represent Romania in Tokyo.

“Nothing makes me more proud than representing Romania, but unfortunately the recovery from my calf injury takes more time and I made the decision to withdraw from the Olympic Games this summer," she said.

"After the disappointment of missing Roland Garros and Wimbledon… having to skip the Olympics is incredibly hard to swallow, but I'm determined to come back stronger. I will watch and cheer for Romanian athletes from home."

Nothing brings me more pride than representing Romania, but sadly the recovery from my calf injury requires more time and I have made the decision to withdraw from the Olympic Games this summer. After the disappointment of missing the French Open and Wimbledon... pic.twitter.com/Q6UziyHhpI

— Simona Halep (@Simona_Halep) June 28, 2021

Rafael Nadal, Dominik Thiem, Denis Shapovalov and Stan Wawrinka are among the other top players to have withdrawn from the Olympics.

Simona Halep's 2021 season so far

Simona Halep

Simona Halep opened her 2021 season at the Gippsland Trophy in Melbourne, where she made the quarterfinals. The Romanian then reached the last eight at the Australian Open, where she lost to Serena Williams.

Following an early exit in Miami, she made the semifinals on the clay in Stuttgart. After a loss in the second round at Madrid, Halep tore her left calf muscle during her Rome opener against Angelique Kerber.

Unfortunately an ultrasound has revealed that I have a tear in my left calf. 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... pic.twitter.com/Fx58WWg796

— Simona Halep (@Simona_Halep) May 12, 2021

She missed Roland Garros but was expected to be back in time for the inaugural Hamburg Open. But her recovery took longer than initially expected, forcing her out of the event in Germany, as well as Wimbledon, where she was the defending champion.

The former World No. 1 won her second Grand Slam title at the grasscourt Major in 2019, beating the legendary Serena Williams in the final. There is no clarity on her return, but she is expected to be back on court ahead of the US Open.