World No2 Simona Halep admits she is desperate for matches before next week’s Australian Open as she prepares to test her troublesome Achilles by taking to the court for a tricky second round in Sydney against Caroline Garcia today.
The Romanian top seed, who was forced to withdraw from the Brisbane International last week due to inflammation in her Achilles – an injury that bothered her throughout the 2015 season – says she’s been practicing without pain in Sydney but is unsure how she will feel during a competitive match.
Garcia poses a particularly difficult opening challenge with the 22-year-old Frenchwoman claiming seven top-10 victories over the past two seasons.
Halep, who has never played Garcia before, is aware of the tough clash ahead of her.
No tennis for 2 days but working hard to be ready for Sydney and/or Melbourne. Fingers crossed ? pic.twitter.com/Edv6VMKEem
— Simona Halep (@Simona_Halep) January 6, 2016“I know it’s going to be a difficult match, but I really want to have some matches before Melbourne,” Halep said. “For me every tournament is important. I will do everything I can in this tournament, and then I will think about Melbourne afterwards.
“I’m feeling much better than I did in Brisbane. It’s difficult to treat an Achilles problem – it’s the toughest part, I think – but I’ve practiced a few days in a row now, almost full practices, and I did some points, so I’m feeling ready to start this tournament. I don’t feel pain anymore, but I want to see how it will be during an official match.”
Halep was one of five top-six players to withdraw or retire from matches in the season’s opening week with Serena Williams (knee), Garbine Muguruza (foot), Maria Sharapova (forearm) and Petra Kvitova (stomach illness), all sidelined last week as well.
Kvitova is unable to defend her title in Sydney this week as she was forced to withdraw, still struggling with illness, while Shenzhen champion Agnieszka Radwanska is also missing from the field, having pulled out with a left leg injury.
Williams eased worries regarding the knee problem that kept her out of the Hopman Cup in Perth last week, telling the Herald Sun she was “ready” for her Australian Open title defence.
“My body is feeling great now,” the world No1 said. “Obviously I had a hiccup but right now it is doing much better. I’ve had a few days of training so it’s looking good.”
On court in Sydney, Germany’s Angelique Kerber overcame the loss of the first set on a day of extreme heat as she maintained her build-up to the grand slam action in Melbourne. The fourth seed came back from a set down to oust Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina 4-6, 6-0, 6-3 in the first round.
With temperatures hitting 37 Celsius, the WTA’s extreme heat policy came into force, allowing Kerber and Svitolina to take a 10-minute break before the third and deciding set.
Kerber, who lost to Victoria Azarenka in Saturday’s Brisbane final, is back at No7 in the world after a successful opening week in 2016.
