Simona Halep remains confident of getting some positive news in the coming weeks after her recent appeal on the four-year doping ban at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
Halep was handed one of the heftiest sanctions by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) for doping last September after a year-long verdict. The independent tribunal concluded that there was "illicit blood manipulation" on Halep's part after consuming Roxadusat.
Roxadustat is considered a blood doping agent by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), and it was found in Halep's urine sample during a random in-competition test at the 2022 US Open. She was also charged with a second count of violating the anti-doping regulations related to inconsistencies with her biological passport.
The Romanian did not play a single minute in 2023, as she was made to wait and was provisionally suspended. Halep became increasingly frustrated, and the tennis world rallied behind her. Ultimately, when the decision from the ITIA came to light, it was hardly good news.
Halep affirmed that she is innocent, and more information has since been disclosed regarding the prohibited substance. Her ex-coach took the blame for recommending the product, which he stated was contaminated but was not disclosed on the label.
The former World No. 1 has also sued the health supplement company for damages over $10 million. Recently, she was at CAS in Switzerland to submit her appeal on the four-year ban that came into effect last year. The 32-year-old posted on her Instagram that she had duly fulfilled her obligation.
"The nightmare that I have lived for a year and a half has finished. I had the chance to present my defense in front of TAS (Swiss acronym for CAS), to show that I never did any kind of doping. This is what I have said from the first day that I was accused."
In the same post, Halep explained she is currently waiting for the outright decision from CAS with her "head held high" and was grateful for the support accorded to her by fans, players, pundits, and even her sponsors. She also promised to share the final verdict, irrespective of how it ends, to her legion of followers.
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