MELBOURNE, Australia — Simona Halep, a two-time Grand Slam titleholder, has withdrawn from both the Australian Open qualifying rounds and a preparatory tournament in Auckland, New Zealand, due to discomfort in her knee and shoulder. This marks yet another setback in her attempt to return to tennis following a drug suspension.

Halep shared her struggles through a social media post, mentioning her condition after competing in an exhibition event held in Abu Dhabi. “After discussing with my team at length, we agreed it is sensible to delay the start of my season,” she noted. “It’s not what I wanted.”

The 33-year-old athlete from Romania has set her sights on competing in the Transylvania Open in her homeland, with matches set to kick off on February 3. Halep had previously received a wild-card entry to participate in the qualifying rounds of the Australian Open. She was the runner-up at Melbourne Park in 2018 and secured major victories at the French Open and Wimbledon in subsequent years. Once ranked as the world’s top player, Halep currently finds herself at 877th position. She has not appeared in any Grand Slam events since 2022 after being sidelined for a year and a half due to a doping investigation.

The qualifying phase for the Australian Open is scheduled to commence on January 6, while the main tournament is set to start on January 12.