Former world No.1 tennis player Simona Halep has been slapped with a four-year ban after her anti-doping violation.
The 31-year-old Romanian star won Wimbledon in 2019 as well as the French Open five years ago, winning a total of 24 singles titles to date on the WTA Tour.
But Halep tested positive for the prohibited anti-anaemia drug Roxadustat after last year’s US Open, which is on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s banned list, while irregularities were found in her Athlete Biological Passport (ABP).
That saw Halep provisionally suspended by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) – although the two-time Grand Slam champion argued that a ‘tainted supplement’ was the reason behind why she failed the drugs test – and has always strongly insisted that she is innocent.
The ITIA have decided to ban Halep until 2026, which would mark four years after she was provisionally suspended in 2022 but she has since confirmed her plans to appeal it.
‘The tribunal accepted Halep’s argument that they had taken a contaminated supplement,’ the ITIA said in a statement on Tuesday.
‘But determined the volume the player ingested could not have resulted in the concentration of roxadustat found in the positive sample.
‘The ABP charge was also upheld, with the tribunal stating that they had no reason to doubt the unanimous ‘strong opinion’ reached by each of the three independent Athlete Passport Management Unit (APMU) experts that ‘likely doping’ was the explanation for the irregularities in Halep’s profile.
‘Halep has been provisionally suspended since October 2022, which the tribunal credited against the period of ineligibility.
‘As such, the former world number one’s suspension will run from 7 October 2022 until 6 October 2026.’
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It could be a career-ending ban for Halep, who would not be able to play again until she turns 35 if the suspension is upheld following her appeal.
Halep, speaking after news of the four-year ban, said: ‘Today, a tribunal under the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme announced a tentative decision in my case.
‘The last year has been the hardest match of my life and unfortunately my fight continues. I have devoted my life to the beautiful game of tennis.
‘I take the rules that govern our sport very seriously and take pride in the fact I have never knowingly or intentionally used any prohibited substance. I refused to accept their decision of a four-year ban.
‘While I am grateful to finally have an outcome following numerous unfounded delays and a feeling of living in purgatory for over a year, I am both shocked and disappointed by their decision.
‘I intend to appeal this decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport and pursue all legal remedies against the supplement company in question.’
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