Simona Halep (32 years old) has two matches in 2024 – in the second one she abandoned in the second set -, a total of 11 points, but she just registered a jump of ten places in the world ranking, from 1,149 WTA to 1,139!
Simona Halep. PHOTO: The Truth Archive
Unfortunately, this rise does not warm neither the former WTA No. 1 nor her fans. Because, according to the latest information, Halep will be sidelined for almost two months, after the knee injury that forced her to withdraw from the Trophee Clarins. From now on, Simona's objective would be one unrelated to the great performance: the presence at the demonstration in Cluj, on June 15, as part of the Sports Festival!
So it's easy to understand why people aren't getting excited, given that hopes were tied to Simona's presence at the French Open (May 20-June 9) and then the Paris Olympics (July 26-August 11). Unfortunately, the first goal fell just before Halep got injured again. Because the Roland Garros organizers refused to put her on the wild-card list, preferring to go with the classic formula: six French women invited to the draw, plus one player each from Australia and the USA, from other Grand Slam organizing countries. And their decision was welcomed by Andrew Stutz, in a harsh text published on lobandsmash.com and partially taken over by spotmedia.ro. In his article, Stutz insisted on an idea very widespread in the world “sport-white“: players involved in doping cases should not receive invitations to Grand Slam tournaments!
“The French Open made the right decision regarding Simona Halep“, Stutz titled his text. Furthermore, after reviewing the names of all the stars who were in the situation of the Romanian, excluded from the wild-card list, Andrew Stutz dedicated an important chapter to Simona's case.
“Probably, the loudest reaction, after the publication of the wild-card list, came from the fans of Simona Halep. The decisions made in her doping case, both by ITIA and TAS, were complicated and at times confusing. However, one thing that continues to be misunderstood is that Halep has not been absolved of any blame in this story. Yes, he won on appeal and the penalty he received was reduced. But she was by no means forgiven. He was not considered to have done anything wrong. TAS accepted Simona's argument regarding the contamination of a supplement with Roxadustat and the lack of intention to dope. But that didn't mean Halep didn't do anything wrong. In fact, her suspension was reduced to 9 months, not cancelled“, continued the author of the text from lobandsmash.com.
Furthermore, Andrew Stutz commented on the decision of the Roland Garros organizers: “The French Tennis Federation has made some questionable decisions in the past. But she has taken a fair stand now, broadcasting that no wild cards will be granted to athletes returning from doping suspensions. The same thing happened in 2017, in the case of Maria Sharapova, who is in a similar situation to Halep now. At the time, the president of the French federation, Bernard Giudicelli, clearly explained that Sharapova did not receive a wild card, because her suspension was reduced, but she was punished for doping, regardless of whether she intended to cheat or not“.
Andrew Stutz's conclusion? A categorical one: “Indisputably, Simona Halep attracts fans to the stands, wherever she is given a wild-card. But I remain of the opinion that the French Tennis Federation did the right thing by refusing to invite her to a Grand Slam. If Halep wants to get back into the sport, she has to start from the bottom, starting with the small tournaments“.
We have seven Romanians in the French Open 2024 qualifiers
*Paar (unranked) – Niemeier (97 WTA) 0-6, 1-6
*Ruse (152 WTA) – Gibson (191 WTA) 6-1, 6-1
Gabriela Ruse will meet Lamens (148 WTA) in the second round.
*Bara (215 WTA) – Jakupovic (227 WTA)
*Mitu (230 WTA) – Jeanjean (143 WTA)
*Bulgaru (204 WTA) – Falei (175 WTA)
*Todoni (181 WTA) – Danilovic (125 WTA)
*Dinu (229 WTA) – Ormaechea (929 WTA)
The rest of the matches will be played today. Each athlete must tie three victories to reach the main draw.
