Wimbledon winner Simona Halep handed lengthy ban after doping scandal. How long will she be out?
The Romanian Tennis star won Wimbledon in 2019; today she has been banned from tennis for a long time after testing positive for illegal substances.
“Today begins the hardest match of my life: a fight for the truth” began Simona Halep in a statement, published on Twitter in October of 2022: “I feel confused and betrayed”. Halep claims to have “never knowingly taken any prohibited substance.”
Simona Halep banned for 4 years
According to reports on Tuesday, two-time Grand Slam champion Simona Halep was been banned for four years following breaches of the Tennis Anti-Doping Program. It is understood, that an independent tribunal determined the 31-year-old Romanian had committed “intentional” anti-doping violations. Where Halep herself is concerned, she released a statement in which she indicated that she intends to appeal against the decision at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
“...I am continuing to train and do everything in my power to clear my name of these false allegations,” she said in a statement that she released on X (formerly Twitter). If you didn’t know, Halep tested positive for the use of Roxadustat at last year’s US Open. It’s worth noting that she was also found guilty of using an unspecified prohibited substance or method in 2022 after irregularities were found in her biological passport. The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) has since stated that has been banned under Article 7.12.1 of the 2022 Tennis Anti-Doping Programme (TADP). “While provisionally suspended, the player is ineligible to compete in or attend any sanctioned tennis events organized by the governing bodies of the sport,” the statement read.
Is Simona Halep’s punishment too harsh?
While the jury is still out on this one, let’s first take a look at what we know. When Halep was banned, she was sitting in ninth position in the world rankings. Regarding the substance that she has been sanctioned for, Roxadustat, a drug that increases red blood cell production. Do with that information what you will, but the fact remains that the level at which the Romanian star was playing, is not one at which there can be any wiggle room allowed. With that said, some of tennis’ stars have already weighed in with their opinions and it looks like they’re not happy with the verdict. Take for example, the opinion of Halep’s coach, the man who coached Serena Williams to several Grand Slam titles, Patrick Mouratoglou. You can see it below: