'Devastated' Halep Hit With Another Delay Over Anti-Doping Breach
WTAThursday, 25 May 2023 at 02:10
Updated at Tuesday, 12 August 2025 at 09:29
Simona Halep is facing yet another setback on her journey toward returning to the WTA Tour as her hearing was postponed once again.
For the third time, ITIA has postponed the Romanian's hearing. Only recently, Halep revealed how extremely shocked she was when she found out that the ITIA attempted to postpone her hearing once again.
Only a few days later, the former world no. 1 received the news about her hearing being officially postponed, by at least one month, something that she can't understand once again, and something that her coach Patrick Mouratoglou slammed for being way past acceptable.
"Once again, tonight, I am devastated. The ITF (ITIA) has once again, for the third time postponed my hearing one month later! I am waiting to be judged since last October. In December, I have finally been able, thanks to experts, to show that the lot of the supplement I was using had been contaminated, which caused the positive control."
Halep explained that it's been eight months since she was allowed to compete on the WTA Tour and claims that it's within her right to have the hearing. However, it's currently not under her control and she has to wait once again.
"I have asked, as the rules of the anti-doping state it, for a quick hearing: this is my right, it is written in the rules! Unfortunately, the ITF (ITIA) has postponed my hearing three times; denying me the right to be judged by an Independent Tribunal, [and] not allowing me to participate in any tournament for 8 months."
The Romanian is now sure to miss the first three Grand Slam tournaments of the 2023 season, and with that also her points and rankings. Moreover, she added that the whole process has consequences on her mental health, and it seems that every day it's just getting worse.
"Now I know that I will have missed the Australian Open, Roland Garros and Wimbledon. Not to mention that I will have lost all my points and my ranking. Not only they are killing my reputation, but also me as a professional player, and I don't even talk about the consequences on my mental health. This disrespect of the rules by the ITF (ITIA) regarding the fast hearing I am entitled to have, is so disrespectful to me that I have no more words… Justice delayed is justice denied."
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