Caroline Wozniacki caused a stir in tennis after she came forward with negative statements regarding Simona Halep's invitation to play in the tournament in Miami. She was the only player who condemned the wild card granted to our player by the organizers of the competition in Florida, after the end of the doping case.
Caroline Wozniacki eliminated from the Miami Open after having the match in hand. Photo EPA EFE
A few days later, the 33-year-old player, ranked 129th in the WTA, was dramatically eliminated in the 2nd round of the Miami Open, after leading 7-5, 5-2 in the confrontation with Anhelina Kalinina (27 years, 36 WTA). The Dane suffered the biggest setback after returning to the circuit: she lost the duel with the Ukrainian, after leading by a set and 5-2 and missing two match points.
Her opponent eventually prevailed 5-7, 7-5, 6-4 at the end of a marathon match that lasted 3 hours and 17 minutes, handing Wozniacki her most painful defeat since her comeback on the circuit, after retiring in 2020. The former world leader returned to the tennis court in the summer of 2023, after a 1,292-day break following the birth of two children, Olivia and James.
Simona's wild card, the apple of discord
Simona Halep received a wild card from the organizers to participate in the Miami Open and received a shot under the belt from Caroline Wozniacki, one of the players she trained with during the period in which she was suspended. Daneza said that athletes suspended for doping should not receive wild cards.
“First of all, I've always liked Simona. We've always had a good relationship. I've been very open in the past about how I feel about doping and all that. I think my opinion about doping is the same. I've always had wanted a clean, fair sport for everyone. It's my opinion. Again, I'm not referring directly to Simona, but if someone cheats on purpose, if someone has tested positive for doping… I understand why a tournament would want to have a big star but i think… not a criticism of anyone… but it's my personal belief i don't think people should get wild cards after that”, said Caroline Wozniacki.
Halep: I'm not a cheater
The Dane added: “If you want to come back and it was a mistake, I understand, you should work your way up from the bottom. That's my personal opinion on these things. It's obvious that Simona's situation dragged on for a long time. Her suspension was reduced. It was not an exoneration, but a reduction of the sentence”.
For her part, Halep responded, via DigiSport: “There are also negative people, that's definitely possible. I trained with her in Monaco and she didn't express anything negative towards me, but now she did. I think she should read the CAS decision, because I've never been a cheater and there was no question that I ever doped. It's just a supplement contamination. They should read the report better, that I'm not a cheater and I've never doped.
