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Sept. 15 (UPI) -- Tennis star Simona Halep underwent nose surgery and won't return until next season, she announced Thursday on social media. She also said she is mentally exhausted as a result of her early exit from the U.S. Open. Halep cited worsening "problems with breathing for many years." The Romanian said she followed medical advice to have surgery, which she also would "solve" the "aesthetic part" of her nose.
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"I could never do it earlier because I never found the necessary three months for the recovery, because tennis was always the first priority in my life," Halep wrote.
"But I felt it's the right time to do it and also to do something for myself as a person."
Halep also wrote about how she was "very close" to quitting tennis earlier this year because she didn't believe she had "enough power" to return to the Top 10 of the WTA singles rankings.
She also cited anxiety and a panic attack she had at the French Open. Halep said her recent union with tennis coach Patrick Mouratoglou helped her regain the belief that she could still play a "good level of tennis."
She gave herself one year to return to the Top 10. Halep currently sits at No. 9 in the WTA rankings. She was No. 6 in mid-August.
Halep lost to unseeded Ukrainian Daria Snigur in the first round of the U.S. Open on Aug. 29 in Flushing, N.Y. She said she didn't realize she was "completely" mentally exhausted until after that loss.
"I don't know how long the recovery will take, for the moment I am not thinking about anything but recovery," Halep wrote. "What is sure, is that this year I won't be able to compete in any official tournament anymore.
"My 2022 season is over. 2022, you have been an interesting year full of everything. See you on the court, 2023."
