Simona Halep faces ‘big question mark’ as former world No 1 continues comeback

Halep has faced a recent resurgence of the calf injury that forced her to withdraw from Wimbledon

Simona Halep is facing a "big question mark" over her fitness as she continues her comeback from injury, according to her coach Patrick Mouratoglou. The former world No 1 has been struggling with a calf injury since the start of the year, and was forced to withdraw from Wimbledon as a result.

Halep returned to action at the WTA 250 event in Lausanne last week, but was beaten in the first round by qualifier Greet Minnen.

Mouratoglou said that Halep is still not fully fit, and that it is unclear when she will be able to return to her best. "The big question mark is her physical condition," Mouratoglou said. "She's not 100% yet, and we don't know when she will be.

Halep is due to play at the WTA 1000 event in Toronto next week, but Mouratoglou said that it is still too early to say whether she will be fit enough to compete.

"We'll see how she feels in the next few days," Mouratoglou said. "But it's a big question mark. We don't know if she'll be able to play in Toronto or not.

Halep's injury problems have been a major setback for her career. The Romanian has won two Grand Slam titles, the French Open in 2018 and Wimbledon in 2019, and has been ranked as high as world No 1. However, she has been hampered by injuries in recent years, and has not won a title since the Dubai Tennis Championships in February 2020.

Halep's comeback has been eagerly anticipated by fans, but her recent injury problems have raised concerns about her ability to return to her best. Mouratoglou said that Halep is determined to come back stronger than ever, but that it will take time.

"She's a fighter," Mouratoglou said. "She's going to come back, but it's going to take time. We need to be patient with her."