Simona Halep accomplishes something for the first time in two years

Simona Halep was a popular player who had won Grand Slams and had reached No. 1 on the WTA and then her tennis world fell apart. She tested positive for the substance roxadustat and was suspended for four years. There was little time for review; she was simply banned.

In fact, the way she was treated by the International Tennis Integrity Authority compared to how Jannik Sinner recently was has caused some to question the ITIA's procedures. This is especially true after Halep continued to fight the ban and had it eventually shortened after an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Halep was free to play again.

She came back almost immediately, likely not giving herself enough time to truly train in the way she needed to prepare for the grueling WTA season. She lost the first match she played at the Miami Open. She next played at a clay-court event in Paris, but she was forced to retire with a knee injury. Getting hurt became an ongoing issue for much of the rest of 2024.

Simona Halep celebrates her first victory on the WTA tour in more than two years

She struggled with injuries to her knee and shoulder and did not play after Paris until this week's Hong Kong 125 Open. In the first round of that event, she defeated Arina Rodionova in three sets. This marked her first victory on the WTA tour since the Western and Southern Open in August 2022. While Halep lost in the second round to Anna Blinkova and won only a total of three games, Halep still had cause to celebrate.

After being banned for basically taking tainted collagen and bares little fault in doing so, and then fighting to get her right back to play professional tennis again, she had finally won a match. She is not the player she once was and she never will be again, but that happens with most players nearing their mid-30s. She at least validated her return by taking a match.

After winning the match in Hong Kong, Halep took to social media to celebrate the victory. She wrote, "Words cannot describe the feeling of being out there on court competing - and winning my first match after such a long period - in the sport I love. Thank you for all your support and your love, it means the world to me."

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