Simona Halep was forced to withdraw from the match against Ukraine in the Billie Jean King Cup play-offs on April 12-13, held in Florida, making her participation in the Olympics almost impossible.
Injured, our 32-year-old athlete won’t be able to participate in the Billie Jean King Cup alongside the Romanian team, and this match against Ukraine could have been a decisive opportunity for her to secure a ticket to the Olympics in Paris, this summer.
Returning to the court in Miami, Halep lost in three sets to Paula Badosa, and now an injury keeps her away from the Romanian team for the match against Svitolina and company.
In order to go to the Olympics, Simona needed to have participated in at least two matches in this competition, the former Fed Cup, between the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Olympic editions, with one of these call-ups between 2023 and 2024.
However, there seems to be a solution revealed by Mihai Covaliu, the president of COSR, who offered very good news for Romanian sport: "Efforts are being made, yes. We want Simona to be part of the Romanian Olympic team. Simona deserves this, especially after the extremely difficult period she went through. I am convinced that she would be more than happy to participate in the Olympics and win a medal for Romania. It's the best response Simona can give. Of course, this is where the discussion about her points begins, whether she can or cannot get them back, her position in the WTA rankings, everything will be taken into account.
Then, of course, we also think about requesting a wildcard, an invitation, for the Olympic Games", Mihai Covaliu stated for iAMsport.ro.
In tennis, at the Olympics, in the singles draw, 64 athletes participate, of which 59 go directly based on the ATP or WTA rankings. There are 5 spots remaining for athletes who receive exemptions, invitations, wildcards: "The competition has left a margin, a door, through which these five athletes can benefit from wildcards considering the problems they have faced", George Cosac, the head of FRT, previously stated for the same source cited above.
D.A.