Simona Halep provisionally suspended for positive doping test at U.S. Open
Two-time Grand Slam champion Simona Halep took to social media Friday to express shock upon learning she's provisionally suspended by the International Tennis Integrity Agency for failing a drug test administered during the U.S. Open held in New York this summer.
"Today begins the hardest match of my life: a fight for the truth," Halep wrote in a statement shared by Sky Sports News. "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 money. It's about honour, and the love story I have developed with the game of tennis over the last 25 years."
Halep's stay at the year's final Grand Slam didn't last long, as she was bounced from the U.S. Open by Daria Snigur in the tournament's first round. On Sept. 15, the 31-year-old confirmed she was taking the rest of the season off to have nose surgery that should improve her breathing.
According to ESPN and the Associated Press, Halep could face a ban of up to four years if she strongly fights the matter and is found guilty. The former world No. 1 is currently ninth in the WTA rankings. She learned about the failed test on Oct. 7 and requested that her B sample also be checked, which confirmed the positive from the A sample.
Roxadustat typically treats symptoms of anemia, but the ESPN/AP story notes the drug "stimulates the body to produce more of the natural hormone erythropoietin, or EPO, which has long been a doping product favored by cyclists and distance runners."
During her career, Halep has won the 2018 French Open as well as the 2019 Wimbledon championships. She's ineligible to attend or compete in any sanctioned events while provisionally suspended.
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