Former No.1 Simona Halep is set to make her competitive return at the Miami Open, which begins on March 17. The tournament announced it has given Halep a main-draw wild card.
"I am thrilled to let you all know that I will be making my return to the WTA Tour in two weeks at the Miami Open," Halep wrote on Instagram. "Thank you to the tournament for giving me this opportunity and I cannot wait to be back on court and competing. See you all soon!"
Miami will be Halep's first tournament since the 2022 US Open.
Earlier this week, Halep, 32, was cleared to return to tennis with immediate effect after her four-year ban was reduced to nine months on Tuesday, following her recent appeal to the Court for Arbitration for Sport.
Last year, Halep was handed a four-year ban after an Independent Tribunal ruled she committed anti-doping rule violations. On appeal, CAS determined Halep established "on the balance of probabilities, that her anti-doping rule violations were not intentional." CAS concluded that Halep "bore no significant fault or negligence" for her infractions.
Halep is a two-time semifinalist in Miami, making the final four as recently as 2019.
![Sara Sorribes Tormo d. [WC] Gao Xinyu 6-7(4), 7-5, 7-5, Beijing R1 (4:15). Sorribes Tormo led 5-1 in the third set, and held off a late comeback attempt by Gao to win the fourth longest match of the Open Era.](https://photoresources.wtatennis.com/photo-resources/2024/09/26/f4607c83-dcf9-4897-9b41-90ae8c384a35/Sorribes-Tormo-R1-ST-2.jpg?width=451&height=268)
