Simona Halep withdraws from Auckland, Australian Open qualifying with knee and shoulder pain

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Two-time Grand Slam champion Simona Halep pulled out of Australian Open qualifying and a tuneup tournament in Auckland, New Zealand, on Thursday because of pain in her knee and shoulder, the latest interruption of her comeback from a drug suspension.

Halep posted on social media that she was feeling poorly after participating in an exhibition event in Abu Dhabi.

“After discussing with my team at length, we agreed it is sensible to delay the start of my season,” Halep wrote. “It’s not what I wanted.”

The 33-year-old Romanian said she is planning to next enter the Transylvania Open in her home country, where play begins Feb. 3.

Last week, Halep was granted a wild-card entry for qualifying in the Australian Open. She was the runner-up at Melbourne Park in 2018 and won major titles at the French Open later that year and at Wimbledon in 2019. She has been ranked as high as No. 1 but is currently 877th and hasn’t played at any Grand Slam tournament since 2022 after missing all tournaments for 1 1/2 years because of a doping case.

Australian Open qualifying starts on Jan. 6, and the main draw begins on Jan. 12.