Former WTA No. 11 Alize Cornet voiced her support for Simona Halep and called on the tennis world to rally behind the suspended star.
Halep was provisionally suspended a year ago for a failed drugs test after the 2022 US Open. She received a separate breach of anti-doping regulations for inconsistencies with her biological passport earlier this year, a decision Halep termed as harassment and that left her helpless.
The former WTA No. 1 has maintained her stance that she is innocent. Her long-awaited hearing was conducted in late June, and since then Halep has been on the waiting line as far as her verdict is concerned despite initial reports suggesting she'll get feedback within weeks.
Last week, Halep took to Instagram to express her disappointment after learning that a decision on her case would be delayed further. Since then her ex-coach Darren Cahill and ATP player John Millman have leapt onto Halep's defense and termed the delay as disgraceful.
Cornet, in a post on X (formerly known as Twitter), also hit out at the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) and International Tennis Federation (ITF) for unfair handling of the case, tagging both accounts, adding that the situation has gone for far too long.
"Come on people, let's join forces. This is going way too far, and for far too long @itia_tennis @ITFTennis. The tennis world just wants what's fair. We want #JusticeForSimona."
WTA player Ellen Perez certainly answered that call and asked fellow players to be empathetic of Halep and speak out. The Australian player believes Halep deserved a fair and timely trial regardless of whether she is innocent or not.
"Irrelevant of if you believe Simona Halep is innocent or not, every athlete deserves a fair and timely trial. How the ITIA and ITF is handling this is beyond poor 🤦‍♀️ I urge other athletes to speak up because if it was you in this situation you’d hope for the same."
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