Simona Halep admits it would be a "disaster" if her doping ban is upheld for the entire four-year period, which many believe could jeopardize her professional career.
Halep was sanctioned by the ITIA following conclusive evidence by an independent tribunal in September for two counts of anti-doping rule violations deemed "intentional" and was banned from competing on the tennis circuit for up to four years.
The Romanian star tested positive for the prohibited doping agent Roxadustat - known for increasing red blood cell production - at the 2022 US Open and was found to have irregularities on her athlete's biological passport after analysis of 51 blood samples.
A crestfallen Halep has continually pleaded her innocence from the confines of the court of law, on media houses, and even on her social media platform. Several of her fellow pros have backed her, and pundits like Chris Evert believe she is innocent.
Halep will challenge the ITIA's hefty ban at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) early next year and hopes to overturn the ban, return to the tennis courts, and compete almost imminently.
If the 32-year-old cannot satisfy the court with her appeal, she will return to the tour in October 2026. She'll be 35 by then but has not contemplated retiring even if the worst-case scenario ensues from CAS when she spoke to Paris Match.
"I prefer not to consider the worst-case scenario. It would be a disaster. Especially since, if the sanction is maintained, I cannot know what will happen over the next three years, how my body will evolve."
"My dream is to come back, whatever my age. One thing is certain: I want to choose how my career ends and I don't want to end my playing life anywhere other than on a court. I think that, given the work I have put in over all these years, I deserve it."
Much of the blame has been centered around her ex-coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, who has accepted his responsibility and guilt in the whole experience. Halep believes the Frenchman had no ill will and did not administer the contaminated collagen "intentionally."
Halep's grievance is that she is living through the punishment, not of her own doing, but of someone else. The two-time Grand Slam champion feels her 25-year life as a tennis professional is "destroyed" because of Mouratoglou's negligence.
"I'm sure it wasn't done intentionally, and I'm grateful he admits the mistake was his and his team's. Yes, they are the ones who gave me this food supplement. And for this error – their error – I am the only one to pay the high price: twenty-five years of career destroyed!"
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