Simona Halep has expressed excitement at hitting the court with Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf at an upcoming exhibition match.
Simona Halep, currently in the middle of a controversial doping case, has been out of action from the tour since the 2022 US Open. She was handed a four-year ban by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) for doping, which will expire only in October 2026.
While Halep’s comeback on the tour looks far off, her return to the court is right around the corner. The Romanian will play at an exhibition match in Cluj-Napoca during the Sports Festival. Andre Agassi, Steffi Graf, and Andrei Pavel will also be part of the event that will take place on June 15.
Taking to social media on Thursday (January 18), Halep shared her delight at partnering with the two “legends” at the event.
“Can not wait to play with these 2 legends”, she wrote, sharing an old picture of her alongside Graf, Agassi and her then-coach Darren Cahill.
The two-time Grand Slam champion shared another throwback picture of her taking lessons from Graf and Cahill, as she wrote:
“Great memories”
Earlier in the day, Halep promoted the event through a choreographed voice call with Steffi Graf, inviting the German to her homeland for the Sports Festival.
“Hi Steffi [Graf], I’m waiting for you, together with Andre here in Romania, in my home country. I have played Sports Festival before and it was amazing. I’m sure you’re gonna like it. I can’t wait to see you in Cluj at Sports Festival,” Simona Halep said in the video.
Simona Halep’s exhibition match with Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf sells out early bird tickets within five hours
Early bird tickets for Simona Halep’s exhibition match with Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf sold out within just five hours of going live.Taking to Instagram on Tuesday, tournament officials shared the news of 1000 tickets getting sold out within a short period. Fans can still book regular tickets which are currently open.
“Wow! In just 5 hours, all 1,000 early bird tickets sold out. Thank you! You can still reserve your place at the event. Regular tickets are now available, at the link in bio. Come and enjoy the meeting with these titans of white sports!!,” the post read.
Ticket rates for the exhibition match range from €34 (RON 170) to €49 (RON 245), while VIP tickets go up to €302 (RON 1,500), as per Euronews Romania.
While Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf have shared the court for several exhibition events over the years, this will be the first time they play together on Romanian soil. Meanwhile, Simona Halep has already participated in the Sports Festival in 2019, where she played alongside Marius Copil, Fabio Fognini, and Daniela Hantuchova.
