Simona Halep, a two-time Grand Slam tennis champion, has been suspended from competing for four years for violating anti-doping policies, according to an announcement made by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) on Tuesday.
Halep, 31, has been accused of two separate breaches of the Tennis Anti-Doping Program (TADP): the use of roxadustat, a prohibited substance; and irregularities in her Athlete Biological Passport, which is used to monitor a player’s biological variables over time, the organization stated.
The ITIA explained that roxadustat is often used to treat anemia but is prohibited in the sport due to its ability to increase hemoglobin and red blood cell production.
“The ITIA has followed the proper processes as we would with any other individual, in accordance with the World Anti-Doping Code, fulfilling our purpose and responsibility to uphold the principle of fair competition on behalf of the sport,” said Karen Moorhouse, the CEO of the ITIA.
The roxadustat was discovered in a urine sample from Halep that was collected during the U.S. Open in 2022. Although the Romanian athlete claimed that the substance was detected due to a contaminated supplement she took, the ITIA concluded that “the volume the player ingested could not have resulted in the concentration of roxadustat found in the positive sample.”
The expert group evaluating Halep’s Athlete Biological Passport determined that the evidence of doping was strong enough to charge her with the anti-doping violation. They upheld the ABP charge and stated that they had no reason to doubt the unanimous “strong opinion” reached by each of the three independent Athlete Passport Management Unit experts that ‘likely doping’ was the explanation for the irregularities in Halep’s profile.
In a statement posted to social media on Tuesday, Halep refused to accept the decision, denied any wrongdoing, and announced her intentions to appeal the suspension. She wrote, “I have devoted my life to the beautiful game of tennis. I take the rules that govern our sport very seriously and take pride in the fact that I have never knowingly or intentionally used any prohibited substance.”
According to Halep, she has undergone 200 blood and urine tests throughout her career to check for prohibited drugs, and they have all come out clean, except for the urine test in August 2022. She explained that the roxadustat must have been found due to a recent change in her nutritional supplements, which did not contain any prohibited substances but could have been contaminated.
Halep also claimed that the ITIA’s expert group only brought an Athlete Biological Passport charge after discovering her identity, leading to a change in the opinions of two out of three of the evaluators.
Patrick Mouratoglou, Halep’s coach, spoke out against the suspension as well, stating that he is “shocked” by the behavior of the ITIA. He wrote, “I do not believe that the ITIA looked for the truth in Simona’s case, and I do not believe that they treated her in a way that is acceptable.”
The backdated suspension will be in effect from October 7, 2022, to October 6, 2026.
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