Simona Halep will return to the WTA Tour, as her four-year ban was reduced to nine months, after she was cleared by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
In October 2022, Halep was suspended after testing positive for a banned substance, Roxadustat. Immediately after the suspension, the Romanian stated that she did nothing wrong, and she was determined to clear her name.
Her case took much longer than she had initially anticipated, and she was far from happy about that. She was even less happy when the final ruling was made, and she was suspended for four years.
However, the former world no. 1's battle was not over there, as she knew she was innocent, and she was determined to fight to prove that. Immediately after the final ruling, Halep announced that she would appeal the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
In October 2023, one year after her initial suspension, she has officially appealed the four-year ban, and this time around, it took much less time before she got to know the final ruling, and this time around, it was positive news for her.
Immediately after the hearings, Halep said she was waiting for the decision with her "head held high" and she had a reason for that, as she was ultimately proven right and cleared of the ban.
On March 5, 2024, the CAS came with a final ruling, that allowed cleared her of the previous doping ban, and allowed her to immediately return to competition.
"The CAS Panel has unanimously determined that the four-year period of ineligibility imposed by the ITF Independent Tribunal is to be reduced to a period of ineligibility of nine (9) months starting on 7 October 2022, which period expired on 6 July 2023."
"As that period expired before the appeal procedures were even lodged with the CAS, the CAS Panel has determined it appropriate to issue the operative part of the Arbitral Award as soon as practicable, together with a comprehensive media release."
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