Wimbledon champion Simona Halep said on Saturday that she will compete at the China Open in Beijing, days after retiring from the Wuhan Open with a back problem. If fully fit, the 28-year-old Romanian will be among the favourites next week in the Chinese capital, where Serena Williams will not play because of a knee issue. Halep, a former world number one, was forced out of the Wuhan third round on Wednesday, saying she had a muscle issue in the lower part of her back. She suffered a herniated disc in Beijing a year ago, bringing an early end to her 2018 season. The Romanian didn’t allow the veteran to settle at all at the All England Club to win her first Wimbledon title and second Grand Slam after the 2018 French Open by beating the American 6-2, 6-2 at the Wimbledon.

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Simona Halep to play in China Open despite back injury

"The back is better, is getting better and I'm having treatment every day," said Halep, who plays a qualifier in her Beijing opener. "I had two days off and today I practised. In my opinion, I can play tomorrow." "You never know with the back, every tournament starts with the back (issue) because I had problems since 2008," she added. "So it's normal to have tough periods."

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'Goal to win Grand Slams', says Simona Halep

Simona Halep, the Wimbledon holder and 2018 French Open champion, twice finished the year number one in the world. She is now sixth but said that being top of the rankings was not her primary concern. "My goal is to win Grand Slams and also tournaments," Halep said.  Off-court, before the first serve, the Wimbledon final attracted attention because Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle was going to come out to cheer for her friend Serena Williams in action. However, after the conclusion of the game, it was Simona Halep and Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton’s exchange that became the talking point. While the former made history by becoming the first Romanian to win the Wimbledon title, her hopes that the latter would support her turned out to be true as Middleton not only met the Champion, but also lauded her for her ‘incredible game.’ After stunning the 23-time-Grand Slam winner Williams in straight sets 6-2, 6-2, Halep in the post-match interview was asked what she felt about Middleton coming to see the match after her statement of hoping to see the Duchess at the match.

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