By Selcuk Bugra Gokalp
Simona Halep announced Thursday that she is withdrawing from the Australian Open due to pain in her knee and shoulder.
"Hi guys, I wanted to wish you all happy holidays and provide a little update. After playing in Abu Dhabi, unfortunately I felt pain in my knee and shoulder once again," the 33-year-old wrote on Instagram on Thursday.
"After discussing with my team at length, we agreed it is sensible to delay the start of my season. It's not what I wanted, but I would like to thank the tournament organizers in Auckland and Australia for the wild cards, and I'm sorry I won't be able to take them this time," Halep added.
She spent more than a year away from tennis as she fought a legal battle to prove her innocence after she tested positive for a banned substance, roxadustat.
Her four-year doping ban was reduced to nine months this year.
Romanian player bagged two women's singles majors in the 2018 French Open and 2019 Wimbledon.