Tennis player Simona Halep said on Monday, when she returned to the country after participating in Miami in her first tournament since the lifting of the doping sanction, that she would very much like to qualify for the Olympic Games in Paris, but the chances are minimal she has to climb into the first 60-70 places of the WTA rankings in a short time.

„I would very much like to be able to qualify, but from what I understand, the chances are minimal. To play in the Olympics in Paris would be wonderful, but I don’t want to get my hopes up too high. The chances are minimal, because I don’t have ranking and I have to be in the first 60-70, something like that,” she said.

Halep mentioned that she enjoyed her return to the WTA circuit and that she missed the fans.

The tennis player got over the shoulder pain she felt during the match against Paula Badosa from Miami: „It was just normal fatigue after not playing for so long. And I played at a very high level this match. I felt the pain after the match as well, it was hard for me for about 2-3 days”.

In the next period, the Romanian will train in Bucharest with her new coach, Carlos Martinez. Simona Halep does not know yet which will be the next tournament in which she will play.

„I am confident in myself, as a person, but as a tennis player I still have a lot to work on. It will be difficult to get back to where I want to be. But as a person I am much better. I no longer felt the pressure of the tournament, it was just the pleasure of being back. It doesn’t matter what I do from now on, I’m going to play for fun. I don’t know how long I’ll play. But I won what I had to win and what was right to win, and that gave me confidence,” she added.

Referring to Denmark’s Carolina Wozniacki, who declared that positive players should not receive wild cards, Halep said: „I have not even thought about this topic. I can only repeat that she should read the decision better. And if she doesn’t understand it, it should be translated for her.

AGERPRES