Tennis-Former champ Halep withdraws from French Open due to calf injury

(Reuters) - Former French Open champion Simona Halep said on Friday she will not play at Roland Garros this year because she is recovering from a calf injury.

Halep retired from her Italian Open second-round match against Angelique Kerber last week. An ultrasound later revealed a tear in her left calf.

"It’s with a heavy heart that I announce my withdrawal from @rolandgarros this year," she tweeted https://twitter.com/Simona_Halep/status/1395666060054044672. "Unfortunately the tear in my left calf needs more time to recover and the timeline is just too short.

"Withdrawing from a Grand Slam goes against all my instincts and aspirations as an athlete, but it is the right and only decision to make."

Halep won her maiden Gram Slam title at the French Open in 2018, beating American Sloane Stephens in the final.

The claycourt showpiece is set to begin on May 30.

(Reporting by Manasi Pathak in Bengaluru; Editing by Toby Davis)