Simona Halep is one of the most prominent players in modern Tennis. Popular with tennis fans globally, she is an icon in her native Romania. Halep has received a special decoration from the Romanian Orthodox Church, of which she is a member, as well as the highest-currently available civilian decoration from the country's government.

The tennis community has been far from immune to the effects of COVID-19. It was one of the first sports in the world to be halted from it. Many players have caught the Coronavirus, including Novak Djokovic and Grigor Dimitrov.

And it's not just limited to the men's side of the sport.

Halep announces that she has COVID-19

Simona Halep has reportedly become ill from the coronavirus. She confirmed it herself over social media. And that she has gone into quarantine. According to MSN, she's reportedly 'recovering well.'

Just a couple of months before, Halep was one of the multiple stars who chose not to play at the U.S. Open. The New York area, where the tournament's played, had begun experiencing a new spike in confirmed cases. Some of the players announced with regret that they didn't want to risk exposure to the virus, including Halep.

However, since then cases have surged not only in the United States but in Europe as well.

As noted by ABC, a number of European countries have re-introduced lockdowns and other safety measures. It's not currently known, at least to the general public, where Halep might have contracted the virus. But it can be noted that Romania is one of the countries that's been majorly spiking in confirmed cases. Halep still resides there.

Simona Halep is the reigning women's singles Wimbledon champion

At the time of Halep's COVID-19 diagnosis, she is ranked the world's number two women's singles tennis player. Halep is also a former world number one. First, she held the spot for a few months from 2017 into early 2018. Shortly after, she re-gained the ranking and held it for almost a year.

It was in 2018 that Simona Halep's career seemed to reach a new level. In that year's Australian Open, she reached the final. She lost to Caroline Wozniacki in a match that was considered an instant classic. Commentators noted the high level of play from both Halep and Wozniacki. The heat and humidity were also intense. So much so that Halep had to go to the hospital afterward. Halep quickly recovered. Not very long after, she emerged as the women's singles champion at the French Open.

The next year, she won the women's singles title at Wimbledon. Halep remains the reigning holder of the title. Wimbledon was canceled for 2020 because of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Halep is also slated to be the flag bearer for the Romanian delegation at the next Summer Olympics. The event was originally scheduled for 2020 in Tokyo, Japan. However, again because of the pandemic, it was re-scheduled for the following year.
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED