Simona Halep provisionally suspended after testing positive for banned substance, calls it 'hardest match of my life'
/dnl.eurosport.com/sd/img/placeholder/eurosport_logo_1x1.png){kind=logo}
ByEurosport
Updated 21/10/2022 at 16:37 GMT
Simona Halep said her provisional suspension after testing positive for a banned substance was the "biggest shock" of her life. The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) said on Friday that “while provisionally suspended, the player is ineligible to compete in or attend any sanctioned tennis events organised by the governing bodies of the sport".
Simona Halep
Image credit: Getty Images
Former world No. 1 Simona Halep has been provisionally suspended after testing positive for a banned substance.
"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)," said the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) on Friday.
"While provisionally suspended, the player is ineligible to compete in or attend any sanctioned tennis events organised by the governing bodies of the sport."
Halep said in a statement: "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."
Roxadustat is an anti-anaemia drug.
Halep won the French Open in 2018 and Wimbledon a year later.
She lost to Daria Snigur in the first round of the US Open in 2022. The 31-year-old headed into the tournament after winning in Toronto and reaching the semi-finals at Wimbledon.
Scan me
Related Topics
Share this article
Advertisement
Advertisement