Sunday 24 January 2016 11:45, UK
Simona Halep will undergo surgery in a bid to eradicate health problems that have adversely affected her tennis performances in recent weeks.
The world No 2 suffered a first-round exit at the Australian Open when she was beaten by Chinese qualifier Zhang Shuai.
The Romanian will skip next week's Fed Cup match against the Czech Republic, as well as tournaments in Dubai and Doha, but hopes to defend her title at Indian Wells in March.
And following medical advice she will have surgery in the next few days to clear up a nasal concern.
This has been one of my most frustrating periods, as I've not been able to train or stay healthy
Halep, who has experienced an illness-plagued start to the year, used Facebook to explain: "The last six weeks have been extremely difficult for me, as I've been dealing with infections in my stomach, nose and ear.
"This has been one of my most frustrating periods, as I've not been able to train or stay healthy even though I've constantly been on antibiotics to help clear the infections.
"I gave it my best shot in Australia but, with the infections still in my body, unfortunately I made things worse, as I pushed myself to compete and fight in a Grand Slam.
"Under doctor's advice, I will undergo surgery to fix the on-going problem with my nose and I've been advised that this is my best option and success is highly likely.
"It comes with great sadness that I'm announcing that I will need to miss our upcoming Fed Cup tie next week, as I will be undergoing surgery this week.
"I'm hopeful that I will have recovered in time to have a chance to defend my title in Indian Wells.
"But I will take it slowly and make sure that I am back to full health before resuming training and competition."
