'A Grand Slam champion like her didn’t deserve that': Romanian No. 1 criticizes handling of Simona Halep's doping case

"She was an idol for many people, a Grand Slam champion, a world No. 1, I can't be happy seeing how it all ended," added Cristian, who is competing at the Rome Open this week. "Since the doping scandal broke, I didn't like the process at all, all the mistakes that were made, I can't understand how they kept her off the circuit for almost two years."

"At least she was able to prove her innocence and clear her name, even enjoy her last few matches a bit. I perfectly understand her decision to retire; at 33 years old, she had practically achieved everything, she can be very satisfied with her career."

With the emergence of positive doping cases for Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek – who did not receive an immediate suspension – several voices within the tennis world have alleged differences in the treatment of players in such cases, even when they end up being innocent. Nicolas Jarry, Beatriz Haddad Maia, and Tara Moore are some examples that add to Halep's case.

"For us, it's very hard, we will never know the details of all these cases, they are very personal," added Cristian, who is competing at the Rome Open this week. "What is clear is that each case is treated differently; there shouldn't be so many differences when it comes to treating players according to their ranking, the treatment should be the same for everyone. It's a very sensitive issue, I can't tell you much more."

The world No. 74 secured a victory in her Rome debut, defeating American Alycia Parks 6-2, 6-0. In the second round, she defeated Kazakh Yulia Putintseva (No. 29) 7-6(2), 7-5 this Thursday, May 8th. It is the second consecutive time she has advanced to the third round in Rome, and she will face 13th seed Diana Shnaider in the next round.