A doping scandal in tennis was brought to light in October last year when Simona Halep tested positive for a banned substance. Subsequently, the Romanian was provisionally suspended from professional tennis. She appealed to have an independent tribunal look at her case, hoping for a different judgment but has failed so far. Darren Cahill, her former coach, was one of the many renowned names in the sport who has chosen to stand by the two-time Grand Slam champion. Adding to the support for Halep, Chris Evert also joined the chorus, as she believes that her former coach would know best.

Halep received a ban in October and has requested another hearing. The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) has stated their support for the Romanian. However, no further hearing has taken place, and Halep blamed the ITIA for it.

Chris Evert shows her unwavering support for Simona Halep

Delay in her hearing with a special tribunal is what Halep is unfortunately facing. She received the ban after traces of Roxadustat were found in her sample during the 2022 US Open. People with anemia due to chronic kidney issues are prescribed the drug. Halep claimed foul play and asked for a hearing to set the record straight. The ITIA representative Nicole Sapstead came out and said that they empathized with the former number 1 and would solve the matter as fast as they can.

As Halep released a statement about the unfair delay in her case, her former coach, Darren Cahill, came out in support and said that he looks forward to seeing her get the chance to present her case to an independent panel. Immediately after Cahill tweeted in support of his former player, Chris Evert also left a message of support. Evert said Cahill would know best since he was her old coach. She tweeted, “Well, @darren_cahill knows her better than anyone….They had a long coaching relationship… 👍“. 

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According to Halep, she has not received any information on the matter so far and wrote on Instagram about her issues. The Romanian player said that the ITIA kept postponing the hearing. During these testing times, she is receiving support from around the world.

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Her current coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, was angered at the behavior of the ITIA. He wrote, “Double game. The game the ITIA plays from day 1.” The ITIA has not made any comments so far about Halep’s situation. 

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The Romanian’s rank has been slipping as she has been absent from the WTA Tour since October. From rank 6, Halep has fallen down to 34. If she does not get a chance to get her case reevaluated, Halep could fall even further in the rankings.