(Paris) Former world tennis No.1 Simona Halep, suspended since October for an anti-doping rule violation, is the subject of a new case in connection with “irregularities” in the data of her biological passport, announced Friday the tennis anti-doping authority (ITIA).
“The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) confirms that Romanian tennis player Simona Halep has been charged with another separate violation of the Tennis Anti-Doping Program, in relation to irregularities in her biological athlete passport. (ABP)”, writes the instance in a press release.
The former world No.1, winner of Roland-Garros in 2018 and Wimbledon in 2019, has been provisionally suspended since last October after testing positive for roxadustat during the United States Open in August.
This banned molecule stimulates the production of red blood cells and is banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Halep faces up to four years of suspension in this first case.
In a statement released Friday evening on her Instagram account, the 31-year-old player says she is “living the worst nightmare” of her life since the announcement of her suspension on October 7, and denounces a form of “harassment” from of the ITIA, which she accuses of seeking to “prove that I am guilty of something that I have never done”.
“Now that we have clearly established that I have been the victim of contamination, they are releasing an allegedly abnormal evolution of my blood. Three world-renowned experts who studied my blood tests said very clearly that my blood was completely normal,” adds Halep.
“An already highly publicized situation”
The new case, confirmed Friday evening by the ITIA, is “based on an assessment of the profile of the biological passport of Mr.me Halep by a group of independent experts ”, specifies the authority.
An athlete’s biological passport makes it possible to monitor various blood parameters over a long period of time. It helps identify potential anti-doping rule violations.
“We are aware that today’s announcement adds complexity to an already high-profile situation,” commented Nicole Sapstead, ITIA’s Senior Director of Anti-Doping.
“It would be inappropriate for us to comment on the details before the process is concluded, but we will continue to engage with the independent investigative agency Sport Resolutions as well as representatives of Mr.me Halep as soon as possible. »
Halep is the first leading player caught in the anti-doping nets since Maria Sharapova’s resounding suspension in 2016. Tested positive for Meldonium, the Russian star was finally given a fifteen-month suspension.
In an interview with Tennis Majors published at the end of April, the Romanian player invoked a “contamination of one of her food supplements” to explain the positive test during the United States Open.
The International Tennis Integrity Agency manages and administers the fight against doping in tennis by delegation from the International Federation (ITF).