Simona Halep provisionally suspended from tennis after anti-doping violation but vows to ‘fight for the truth’
Simona Halep said she will “fight for the truth” after the former World No 1 and Wimbledon champion was provisionally suspended from tennis for testing positive for a banned substance at this year’s US Open.
A statement from the International Tennis Integrity Agency stated that Halep failed a doping test after her sample contained the anti-anemia medication Roxadustat, which is a prohibited substance on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s list.
Halep, a two-time grand slam champion, will be ineligible to compete in or attend any sanctioned tennis events organised by the governing bodies of the sport during her provisional suspension, the statement continued.
But in response, Halep said the news had come as the “biggest shock of my life” and vowed to “fight until the end” to clear her name. Halep said she “never knowingly took any prohibited substance”.
Roxadustat is a drug that increases oxygen-carrying capacity and is in the same category on Wada’s list of prohibited substances as EPO, another blood-boosting drug.
Halep’s provisional ban is the most significant to hit tennis since former World No 1 Maria Sharapova was banned for 15 months for testing positive for the banned substance meldonium in 2016.
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