Simona Halep says goal is to return to top 10 after injury layoff, offers support to Simone Biles and Naomi Osaka over mental health issues

Simona Halep hopes her injury woes are well and truly behind her as she prepares to return to action next week in Montreal. The Romanian sustained a muscle tear in Rome earlier this year and has been sidelined from the sport ever since.

Her absence from the tour has contributed to her slide down the rankings and she is set to fall out of the top 10 for the first time since 2014.

Today marks Simona Halep 373rd and last week in a row in top-10Started on 27th January 2014, the 8th longest streak of consecutive weeks in top-10 since the WTA ranking exists (November 1975) is going to an end as she's now losing 190pts from Toronto 2019 and will drop at n.13

— Diego Barbiani (@Diego_Barbiani) August 2, 2021

In a recent interview with Digi Sport, Halep said her immediate goal was to play at a high level and return to the top 10.

"I leave the top 10 after many years, it will be a big goal to return. It was a difficult injury, I haven't had a muscle fracture so far. I have a desire to return to a high level," admitted Halep. "I will go to the tournament in Montreal, I want to be able to play all 3 tournaments [Montreal, Cinncinati & US Open] on hard and win matches, if possible.

Halep also gave her thoughts on the issue of mental health in sports. The topic initially came to the fore following Naomi Osaka's withdrawal from Roland Garros and was once again put in the spotlight by American gymnast Simone Biles, who withdrew from several events at the Olympics citing mental health concerns.

Halep revealed that she too struggled to deal with the pressure of being a top athlete growing up. The Romanian also extended her support to Biles and Osaka, saying she hoped to see them put their troubles behind them soon.

"It's a big problem, I've felt it for years. In 2014, I felt it the most, because I was at the beginning, I didn't know how to manage all the tournaments, the success I had," claimed Halep. "It is an emotional load every week to be at the top and I agree with them [Simone Biles and Naomi Osaka] that maybe some athletes fail to manage this pressure."

"I wish them the mental strength, because they’re incredible athletes. They’ve got the power to get through this," added Halep.

"I want to believe that I still have a small chance"- Simona Halep on competing in the 2024 Paris Olympics

Simona Halep

Halep's injury forced her to skip Roland Garros and Wimbledon, where she was the defending champion. She further withdrew from the Tokyo Olympics, forgoing her dream of representing her country at the quadrennial event.

But the Romanian is holding out hope that she will be able to participate in the Paris Olympics in 2024.

"I want to believe that I still have a small chance in Paris, in 2024," she said. I'm going to play for three years, but I don't know what it will be like. Paris is my favorite city and, for sure, it will be nice to get [a medal] there" said the Romanian.