Simona Halep returns to the clay after two years – the tournament where she confirmed her presence

​Simona Halep last played on clay nearly two years ago, but the former world number one will return to her favorite surface at the Clarins Trophy, the ‘WTA 125’ tournament in Paris (May 13-19).

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Simona Halep accepted a wild card for the Clarins Trophy

The double Grand Slam champion played just one match after the Court of Arbitration for Sport reduced her suspension in the doping scandal: 6-1, 4-6, 3-6 vs Paula Badosa, in the first round of the WTA Miami, on March 19 .

Since then, Halep has struggled with injury and has withdrawn from the Billie Jean King Cup, as well as the Oeiras and Madrid tournaments.

Tennisactu announced at the end of April that Simona received a wild card for the Clarins Trophy, and the name of the athlete from Constanța now appears on the competition’s official website.

They will also be present at the tournament in Paris Ana Bogdan and Jaqueline Cristianbut also eight WTA Top 50 players: Emma Navarro, Katie Boulter, Leylah Fernandez, Yue Yuan, Sloane Stephens, Katerina Siniakova, Clara Burel and Diane Parry.

Simona last played on clay on May 26, 2022, when she was defeated by the Chinese Qinwen Zheng in the second round at Roland Garros (the Grand Slam she won in 2018).

The Clarins Trophy will be contested between May 13-19, is part of the WTA 125 category, is played on clay (the Lagardère complex in the Bois de Boulogne) and offers total prizes worth 115,000 euros. The titular champion is Diane Parry.

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About Simona Halep’s doping case

• Simona’s case was heard by Sport Resolutions, the independent tribunal in London that handles doping cases in white sport.

• On August 29, 2022, Simona Halep would play her last official match on the world circuit. At the US Open, in the inaugural round, our athlete was surprisingly defeated by Daria Snigur (WTA 124th place at that time, coming from the qualifications).