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Belgian tennis great Kim Clijsters doesn't seem to have any qualms with Simona Halep's return to the court after the latter's doping ban was reduced earlier this month.
Halep tested positive for roxadustat at the 2022 US Open and there were inconsistencies found in her biological passport. She was subsequently banned for four years by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) in Sep. 2023.
Halep took the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), where a ruling in March 2024 saw her ban reduced to nine months. Given her provisional suspension started in October 2022, she was free to return to the court immediately.
Throughout the ordeal, Halep maintained that she ingested the banned substance via tainted supplements. She was handed a wildcard entry to the 2024 Miami Open — a decision that didn't seem to sit well with some observers, including fellow WTA star Caroline Wozniacki.
Clijsters, however, has supported Halep and said that the 32-year-old 'deserved' to have her ban overturned. She also expressed her happiness at seeing Halep return to court and said it would give her the perfect opportunity to prepare well for the French Open in May this year.
"I'm super happy that she [Simona Halep] was able to play and we got to see her out on court, just to see how happy she was and how excited she was to be out there and the support that she got. I thought it was great and what she deserved," Clijsters said on the Served with Andy Roddick podcast (at 01:13:22).
"You can tell that she is not as game-ready as she was a couple of years ago, which is normal. But just the excitement to get back, and I'm sure this is very motivational for her to go onto the clay court season and to prepare really well for the French Open," the former World No. 1 added.
Halep, a former World No. 1 herself, lost a three-setter in the opening round of the WTA 1000 in Miami to Paula Badosa.
Paula Badosa on Miami Open 1R match: "I didn't like facing Simona Halep at all, I'm going to be honest"
Paula Badosa didn't take facing Simona Halep for granted, despite the latter's extended absence from the court.
Halep, a two-time Grand Slam winner, won the first set of their opening-round match in Miami, 6-1. Badosa, however, came back to win the remaining two sets 6-4, 6-3.
The Romanian didn't make it easy for Badosa, creating five break point chances with an 80% conversion rate. She also valiantly defended seven of the 11 break point opportunities created by the Spaniard.
After the match, Badosa admitted that it wasn't a pleasant experience playing against the former French Open champion due to the latter's quality. The Spaniard said:
"I didn't like it at all. I mean, I'm going to be honest. Even if Simona is 10 years without competing, she's still Simona. She's a big player. She's won so many titles. I respect her so much."
Badosa's journey in the second leg of the Sunshine Double didn't last too long either as she lost 4-6, 3-6 to her close friend and World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka in the second round.
