'Very excited' – Halep opts for 125k challenger event in bid to kickstart clay season

Simona Halep will continue her comeback in Portugal next week, with the Romanian accepting a wild card to the Oeiras Ladies Open – a much lower-level WTA event than her first comeback appearance in Miami.

Halep made her comeback to the world of tennis in Miami, where she lost in the first round to Paula Badosa in three sets. But with plenty of attention on that match, it was the comments of Caroline Wozniacki that really garnered the headlines, with the Dane saying she didn’t believe players should be awarded wild cards after a positive drugs test.

Halep’s decision to accept another wild card will more than likely cause much less fuss, given she has opted for a lower-profile tournament. Oeiras is a new tournament, and sits below the elite WTA Tour events, with less prize money and less ranking points on offer.

“I’m very excited to add a new tournament to my calendar,” Halep said in an interview with the local media.

“On my return to the WTA circuit, I intend to play as many matches as possible and accepting this wild card gives me the opportunity to do so in front of the Portuguese public.

“I want to thank the tournament for having me and I can’t wait to be there.”

Halep has always been a prestigious clay-court player, with one Roland-Garros title to her name and two further finals in the French Open. But having not played on clay competitively for two years and with a ranking of 1,144, the Romanian has her work cut out to make it to Paris – unless she is granted more wild cards.

The issue of wild cards looks set to continue all season, with plenty of differing opinions over who should be granted one. There are protected rankings for players returning from injury and also for players returning from maternity leave, with the wild card decisions left to the individual tournament organisers.

As for Halep, she will be hoping for enough match wins across the spring to not require wild cards for too much longer.