Simona Halep has announced that she will not compete again this season after undergoing surgery on her nose to solve a breathing problem.
Halep, a two-time grand slam champion and former world No 1, said the long-standing condition deteriorated over the North American hard-court swing, a period when she was also afflicted by mental fatigue. The 30-year-old, who went into the US Open among the title favourites but suffered a first-round upset at the hands of Ukrainian qualifier Daria Snigur, said she was unsure of the timeframe for her recovery.
“When I lost at the US Open, I realised that I’m completely exhausted mentally,” wrote Halep on social media. “Having [had] problems with the breathing for many years already, and becoming worse with time, I decided to follow the advice of my doctors and do the needed surgery.
“I could never do it earlier because I never found the necessary three months for the recovery, because tennis was always the first priority in my life. But I felt it’s the right time to do it.
“I don’t know how long the recovery will take, for the moment I am not thinking about anything but recovery. What is sure is that this year I won’t be able to compete in any official tournament any more.”
Halep, who added that aesthetic considerations were a factor in her decision to go under the knife, also elaborated on the background to the panic attack she suffered during her shock second-round exit to Qinwen Zheng at the French Open.
The Romanian, a title winner at Roland Garros in 2018, described how she put too much pressure on herself after entering into a coaching collaboration with Patrick Mouratoglou, the former coach of Serena Williams, in April.
“it was a very tough period because I always put pressure on myself and, having the best coach next to me, it felt even more pressure to win and to do well. This ended up with a panic attack during my match in Paris,” wrote Halep.
“I felt Roland Garros was the moment that I have to play great because of all the work I’ve done. I couldn’t handle the pressure and I broke down. Then I talked to Patrick and told him that I need to relax, because I can’t play with the pressure I put on myself, and asked him to be patient with me for the next six months. No expectations. He listened to me, agreed and he supported me 100%.”
The approach swiftly yielded results. Bolstered by semi-finals runs in Birmingham, Bad Homburg and Wimbledon, and after winning her first trophy under Mouratoglou in Toronto, Halep returned to the top 10 just two months after her disappointment in Paris.
“Faster than I ever expected, in only two months, I was back to the top 10,” wrote Halep. “Goal achieved!”
Halep, who is currently ranked ninth, has not set a formal date for her return to the tour, but will no doubt hope to be back in time for January’s Australian Open.