Simona Halep tells AP that she was nervous about returning to tennis after her doping ban

Flying to Florida for the Miami Open, where he would play in a professional tennis match for the first time in 1 1/2 years. the doping ban was shortened in connection with the complaint, Simona Halep turned to his mother and offered a bit of recognition.

"I'm very nervous," Halep, twice Grand Slam master, recalled telling his mother.

He wasn't sure what it would be like — on or off the field. And as she prepares to pursue what she called the "second part" of her career in an Associated Press video interview from her home in Bucharest, Romania, Halep is more comfortable in her surroundings but not quite sure how close she'll get to the old one. as an athlete himself.

“I felt like I didn't know what to expect from people (in Miami). How will it be - to be in the dressing room again. Players dining area (area). All this routine, which I haven't done in almost two years, it seemed new to me, said Halep, whose upcoming tournaments are next week in Oeiras, Portugal, and the following week in Madrid.

"And when I got there, the love I got from the tournament, the security and all the people around and also the players, helped me forget everything. And it felt like I never (was) gone," said the 32-year-old Halep, who has been working for a new coach With Carlos Martinez. - So it was a great feeling, great energy, and I was really happy deep down to be part of tennis again and part of this sport that I love. So for me it was a great experience, much better than I expected. And that made me feel like, okay, now I want to go back and do my best and see how good I can still be."

Halep was once one of the best in the world at what she does. He knew that. Everyone else did too. Here's what the WTA rankings said: Halep reached No. 1 in 2017 (she's No. 1,144 this week). Like her results: Halep was runner-up at three majors before breaking out by winning titles French Open in 2018 and at Wimbledon in 2019 (beating Serena Williams in the final).

Now it's harder for him to know what he's capable of with the bat.

Missing from the matches, although he was encouraged so far by the only one, a three-set loss to former No. 2 Paula Badosa in Miami March 19th. Questions about his fitness, a key factor in his style of play. And even though he worked during his suspension, it wasn't easy to find motivation not knowing when - or indeed, if - he would compete again.

"It's been a difficult season. ... It was difficult to manage, but now it's a different story," Halep said. "And I feel relief, I feel freedom and" - here she laughed - "yeah, I'm back in business."

He thought his career was over when the International Tennis Integrity Agency handed him a four-year ban for testing positive for the banned blood-boosting drug Roxadustat at the 2022 US Open, where he lost in the first round.

But the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled in March that Halep's test result was inadvertent and the result of a contaminated additive; the ban was reduced to nine months, longer than he had already been out of the sport, allowing him to participate in events immediately.

"The WTA is very supportive of our anti-doping program and the process that goes into it. It's an independent process that we support - the findings that come out of that - and that's why I'm very supportive of her return," said Steve Simon, director of the women's tour. "I haven't spoken to her directly or seen her yet, but I've sent her a message. It's great to have her back and I'm looking forward to hopefully Simona playing some great tennis.

When Halep was banned—not just from playing, but, as she noted, from participating in tournaments—she didn't want to watch much tennis on TV.

Who helped him overcome uncertainty? Family. A handful of friends. And some of the current and former players who offered support, she said, include Chris Evert, Kim Clijsters, Ash Barty, Angelique Kerber, Petra Kvitova and Carla Suarez Navarro.

The enjoyment Halep gets from competing now drives her more than any specific goals.

She also explained that it's hard to know where to aim now, both because of the long absence and because, as Halep said, “I'm 32; I'm not that young anymore."

He wants to find himself in the Top 10 once again.

"What I went through is not easy. So I can't forget like this," he said, snapping his fingers, "just because I got cleared. There are pieces of luggage that are likely to stay longer and I can't forget, like one day (the other) what happened. So I have to deal with it better. I have to control my emotions going back. So (much) not easy. But I hope joy will help me.”

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Howard Fendrich has been an AP tennis writer since 2002. You can find his stories here: https://apnews.com/author/howard-fendrich

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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis