London, (Asian independent) Former world No.1 Simona Halep of Romania, having recovered from an injury, will return to competitive tennis in Germany this month, a week prior to Wimbledon where she is the defending champion.
The organisers of the Bad Homburg, to be played from June 20-26, confirmed on Tuesday that Simona, 29, had accepted a wildcard entry.
Simona, the current world No. 3, had won the Wimbledon title in 2019 – the 2020 edition was cancelled due to Covid pandemic — and will be returning to the grass court tournament, starting on June 28.
Simona, winner of the French Open title in 2018, missed the clay-court major this year due to a calf-muscle tear at the Italian Open in Rome last month.
“I am super excited to announce that I will be playing for the first edition in Bad Homburg, and I am looking forward to see all the fans in the stands,” she said in a video tweet.
The tournament organisers will allow a maximum of 600 spectators each day due to the Covid-related restrictions.
Two other former Wimbledon champions — Germany’s Angelique Kerber and Czech Republic’s Petra Kvitova — are set to play in Bad Homburg.