Sidelined from the field since the 2022 US Open, the former world number 1 was accused of two violations of anti-doping rules. She was convicted by an independent court on Tuesday.
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To see her again on a tennis court, you will have to wait until October 6, 2026. The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) announced, Tuesday, September 12, that an independent court had sentenced Simona Halep to four years of suspension for two violations anti-doping rules. The first is a positive urine test for roxadustat (an anti-anemic drug) during the 2022 US Open, which initiated the sidelining of the Romanian. The second concerns irregularities noted on the biological passport of the former world number 1 for the year 2022, on the basis of 51 blood samples.
The player had pleaded contamination of food supplements. “They are not only killing my reputation, but also my professional career”the player wrote on her social networks at the end of May. “The court determined that the volume of [compléments alimentaires] ingested by the player could not lead to such a concentration of roxadustat found in the positive sample”, explains the ITIA. The same court supported “the decided opinion” of three independent experts from APMU (Athlete Passport Management Unit) considering Simona Halep “presumably doped”.
Halep will appeal
The Romanian announced her intention to appeal this suspension before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Tuesday on social networks. “I intend to appeal this decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport”writes Halep. “I continue to train and do everything in my power to clear my name of these false accusations and return to the court.”affirms the one who has already been provisionally suspended for almost a year.