Simona Halep, the former world number one and decorated tennis champion, has announced her intention to appeal the International Tennis Integrity Agency’s (ITIA) decision to ban her for four years due to two separate anti-doping rule violations. Halep’s suspension stems from her testing positive for the banned blood-booster roxadustat during the 2022 U.S. Open, leading to her provisional suspension in October 2022.
Expressing her shock and disappointment, Halep has categorically denied any knowledge of taking roxadustat intentionally. She attributes the positive test result to contaminated supplements and firmly rejects the ITIA’s decision of a four-year ban, which would last until October 6, 2026. Halep is determined to clear her name and return to competitive tennis.
In a statement to Reuters, Halep stated, “I intend to appeal this decision to The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and pursue all legal remedies against the supplement company in question.”
The ITIA, after conducting a thorough analysis of 51 blood samples provided by Halep, levied two charges against her. The first charge was related to an Adverse Analytical Finding (AAF) for roxadustat at the 2022 U.S. Open, detected through regular urine testing during competition. The second charge pertained to irregularities in Halep’s Athlete Biological Passport (ABP).
While Halep successfully argued that she had taken a contaminated supplement, the tribunal determined that the volume she ingested could not account for the concentration of roxadustat found in her positive sample. The ABP charge was upheld as three independent experts unanimously believed “likely doping” was the explanation for the irregularities in her profile.
Karen Moorhouse, CEO at the ITIA, noted that the tribunal had a substantial amount of evidence to consider in both the roxadustat and ABP proceedings.
Simona Halep had previously criticized the ITIA for delays in her independent tribunal doping hearing, asserting that she was being denied her right to be heard. Her coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, expressed his unwavering support for her and hoped for a favorable outcome at CAS.
Halep detailed how she adjusted her nutritional supplements based on recommendations from her trusted team and physiotherapist ahead of the hard court season last year. She emphasized that none of the listed ingredients contained any prohibited substances, but one of them was found to be contaminated with roxadustat.
Halep also raised concerns about the ABP charge, suggesting that the ITIA’s expert group altered their opinions in favor of the allegations once they learned her identity. She maintained that her blood parameters had remained consistent for over a decade.
The Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA) expressed its support for Halep and criticized the repeated delays in her case as unfair and unacceptable. The WTA emphasized the importance of players being aware of the sport’s Anti-Doping Programme rules and stated that it would support the decisions reached through the appeals process.
