Simona Halep’s return to her roots is a story that transcends the boundaries of sports! In an emotional display of affection, the former World No. 1, whose journey in tennis has been filled with triumphs and challenges, encountered a heartwarming welcome during a sports event in her home country, Romania. As every soul present there cheered her on, Halep’s father’s eyes brimmed with tears.

Simona Halep’s tennis career has been anything but easy. When a four-year-old Simona dreamt of becoming a top tennis player, little did she know that her path to success would be filled with challenges. Halep remained sidelined from tennis for over 18 months, after testing positive for two consecutive doping violations in 2022. After months of battle, the authorities shortened her ban, originally four years long, to nine months later. However, it wasn’t until the Miami Open of 2024 that fans finally witnessed her long-awaited comeback to the tennis courts.

However, amid all the chaos, Halep’s father, Stere Halep, remained a pillar of support for the 24x singles title winner. Therefore, whenever he sees her daughter receiving her fair share of appreciation and love from fans, controlling his emotions seems a little hard for him. This happened during a recent Sports Festival tennis exhibition in Romania as well. 

A short clip of that event surfaced on X. The video begins as the two-time Grand Slam champion enters center stage, waving at her fans. As everyone in the audience stands and applauds her, the camera spans toward her father, Stere. The video captured a heartwarming moment as Stere glanced at his daughter while tears streamed down his face. As he clapped along with the 10,000 fans in the audience, the former football player looked around himself, absorbing the happiness and love that his 32-year-old daughter was receiving. After all, it was indeed a moment of celebration for Halep, who has endured a lot of difficulties over the last couple of years.

When Halep was had been accused, her father said in 2022, “It is a situation that is not easy to go through. But with faith and God’s help, everything will be resolved. And I hope the competent bodies do justice!” With utter faith in his daughter, Stere remained firmly on her side, much like fans. And though it took some time, the ultimate verdict was in the Haleps’ favor!

In the above clip, after her successful CAS appeal, this was the first time that Simona Halep played since her U.S. Open in 2022. Naturally, her father, who accompanied her to the tournament, was more than just happy. “Well, how can I tell you … a lot of emotions,” he said in an interview. Although she suffered a defeat against Paula Badosa in the first round, just like her father, fans were also happy to see her back on-court. The Romanian player herself later revealed how returning to tennis was joyful for her.

Simona Halep reveals how she felt “relieved” after her Miami Open tournament

When Simona Halep and Paula Badosa faced each other in Miami, fans were excited to see whether she could win against the Spaniard for the third time or not. Sadly, Halep fell short against her by 6-1, 4-6, 3-6. However, it didn’t dampen her spirits. The Romanian tennis player later added, “I felt so much love in Miami. When I was traveling with my mum, I told her that I’m very nervous how it’s going to be, how people will react. But it was amazing.”

Furthermore, the 2018 French Open winner stated, “It was great to be back and I felt relieved. I felt the freedom again to be able to go to the tournament and to be able to play, practice, the same routine, locker room.”

Calling it a “great experience” and showing her gratitude for the people, Halep concluded her statement. Unfortunately, she has not come back on-court after the Miami Open tournament in March. Simona Halep, who was set to participate in the WTA 25 event in Paris, had to pull out at the last minute due to unbearable pain in her knee. However, the season is not over yet, and fans are waiting to see more of her performances going forward!