Simona Halep will put forward her defense to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in February 2024 following her four-year suspension from tennis.
In September 2023, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) ruled that Halep would serve a four-year ban after she was found guilty of doping offenses. Recently, the Romanian player has appealed to the CAS for her sanction to be shortened.
Shortly after the announcement of Halep's ban, the CAS announced that it received the appeal from the banned player and her team. However, the Swiss-based organization shared on its official website on December 12 that the 32-year-old's case will be heard in court between February 7 and 9 next year.
The CAS proceedings into Halep's case have already begun, although there is no given period about how long a final verdict will take. However, whatever the organization's decision, it will be final and conclusive, with no other tribunals or court rulings in the future.
On September 12, 2023, the ITIA first announced that Halep was banned for four years after she was found guilty of two anti-doping offenses.
The agency found that the two-time Grand Slam champion broke Tennis Anti-Doping Programme (TADP) violations at the 2022 US Open when she tested positive for the banned substance roxadustat.
In addition, Halep was found guilty of irregularities on her biological passport, which led to the second anti-doping charge. Initially, the former WTA number one was banned for a provisional period from October 2022; however, the four-year ban was officially enforced a year later in 2023.
Ever since the original verdict on her charges of doping, Halep has protested her innocence and vowed to fight the bans given to her over the last 14 months. Going through the appeal process will be the 32-year-old's final chance at redemption, and the outcome will be eagerly awaited.