Simona Halep is again the WTA's year-end world No.1, despite a back injury that doctors say might lead to a long-term problem.
Halep, who won her first major at this year's French Open, clinched the year-end top women's ranking on Monday but might be forced to pull out of the Kremlin Cup and the season-ending WTA Finals because of a herniated disk.
"I haven't practised 100 per cent yet but today, tomorrow, I will do close to 100," Halep said in a conference call, "and I will be able to know better the next day.
"The doctor told me it's nothing about the surgery but, if I will keep playing, there is a risk of long-term injury. I don't need that and I don't want that, so I have to make good decisions in the next days."
The 27-year-old Halep had her best year on tour in 2018, reaching the Australian Open final and winning her first grand slam title a few months later at Roland Garros. But she announced at the start of this month she'd had a MRI exam after retiring from her China Open first-round match and the herniated disk problem was found.
The Kremlin Cup runs this week and the WTA Finals, featuring the top eight players in the world, begin on October 21 in Singapore.
"I hope first to be able to play here (in Moscow) because ... I have already three-four days getting ready for this tournament," Halep said. "But if I will not be able to play here, I'm very doubtful that I will be able to play in Singapore because it's very fast.
"So I don't know now but, for sure, I will take a decision for my health first."
Despite the injury, Halep is still relishing in her season. She has been at the top of the rankings for almost the entire year even though her results had suffered as the season wore on.
Halep has played 15 tournaments so far in 2018. She followed up her first major title by losing in the third round at Wimbledon and first round at the US Open.
