Halep rails at Wozniacki after ‘cheat’ comments

MIAMI, Florida: Simona Halep returned to tennis on Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila), losing in three sets to Spaniard Paula Badosa at the Miami Open and then hit back at Caroline Wozniacki after the Dane criticized the decision to give her a wildcard into the tournament.

Former world No. 1 Halep was given a warm welcome by the Miami crowd before fading as she lost 6-1, 4-6, 3-6 in her first game since the 2022 US Open.

But while the Romanian flags and chants of her name showed she retains plenty of support after having her doping ban reduced by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) last week, former world No. 1 Wozniacki questioned the way Halep was allowed into the tournament.

“This is not directly at Simona, but if someone purposely cheats, if someone has tested positive for doping ... I understand why a tournament wants a big star in the tournament, but it’s my personal belief, and it’s not a knock on anyone, but it’s my personal belief that I don’t think people should be awarded wild cards afterwards,” said the Dane.

“If you want to come back, and it’s been a mistake, I understand, you should work your way up from the bottom. That’s my personal opinion [on] things.

“Simona’s situation has obviously dragged on for a long time. She got her suspension reduced. It wasn’t a clearance, it was a reduced sentence, ”she added.

Asked about Wozniacki’s comments, Halep said she did not understand her motivation.

“Why did she say that? I didn’t do anything wrong. I didn’t cheat. I didn’t dope. So it’s better if we read the decision from CAS that it was a contaminated supplement, it wasn’t doping. I never had [anything] to do with doping. I never doped, so I’m not a cheater.

“Thank you to the tournament for giving me the wild card and [having] the possibility to play in such a big tournament. It was great to be back,” said the 32-year-old.

“Only one person being negative about me is not that important because I have hundreds of people that are giving me love, so

I will take that,” added Halep.

AFP PHOTO Simona Halep of Romania returns a shot to Paula Badosa of Spain during her women’s singles match during the Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium on Tuesday, March 19, 2024, in Miami Gardens.