Following a positive drug test at the US Open this year, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) has temporarily suspended Simona Halep from competition.
The player received the bad news on Friday when the ITIA suspended her for violating anti-doping regulations on October 7, 2022. The test was conducted during the US Open, where she lost to Daria Snigur in the first round, and she tested positive for substance Roxadustat that is in the same category as EPO for prohibited substances.
Halep had the opportunity to submit a B sample, and the same outcome was discovered with the player being prohibited from competing in any events as a result of this decision. The Romanian won two Grand Slam titles in her career as she prevailed at Roland Garros in 2018 and Wimbledon in 2019.
The statement from ITIA read: "The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) has confirmed that Simona Halep, a 31-year-old Romanian tennis player, has been provisionally suspended under Article 7.12.1 of the 2022 Tennis Anti-Doping Programme (TADP)."
"The player exercised their right to request that the B sample was analysed, which confirmed the finding in the A sample. While provisionally suspended, the player is ineligible to compete in or attend any sanctioned tennis events organised by the governing bodies of the sport."
Soon after ITIA's statement, Halep also released a statement that reads: "Today begins the hardest match of my life: a fight for the truth. I have been notified that I have tested positive for a substance called Roxadustat in an extremely low quantity, which came as the biggest shock of my life.“
"Throughout my whole career, the idea of cheating never even crossed my mind once, as it is totally against all the values I have been educated with. Facing such an unfair situation, I feel completely confused and betrayed.”
"I will fight until the end to prove that I never knowingly took any prohibited substance and I have faith that sooner or later, the truth will come out.”
"It's not about the titles or the money. It's about honour, and the love story I have developed with the game of tennis over the last 25 years."
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