Simona Halep has broken her silence in the midst of her doping ban. The former world No 1 has given had first interview since she was provisionally suspended in October for failing a drugs test during the US Open. The Wimbledon champion shared her frustration as she alleged that the ITF had cancelled her previous independent hearing.
Halep was provisionally suspended from competition last October as it was revealed that she had tested positive for the banned substance Roxadustat – a drug which helps increase the production of red blood cells – in a test undertaken during the US Open. She has continued to maintain that she never knowingly ingested a banned substance.
In December, it was revealed that the Romanian tennis star had reportedly found the source of contamination. In the months since there have been talks of an independent hearing which has allegedly continued to be pushed back, and Halep has now shared her frustration with Tennis Majors after claiming the ITF delayed then cancelled her tribunal.
The outlet stated that all of the facts stated by Halep had been fact-checked and that her legal team was also able to confirm that Halep’s statement during their interview was accurate. The ITF told Tennis Majors it was not in a position to comment and the ITIA said it would not comment on a case while it is ongoing.
The two-time Grand Slam champion told Tennis Majors that the situation had been “really hard” and “heavy”. She also maintained her innocence, stating: “Knowingly, I have not taken any banned substance. I am a big supporter of clean sports and have always been against doping.”
Halep wanted to “stay silent until the case would be solved” but said she decided to speak out because the process was “taking so long”. Under the International Tennis Integrity Agency’s tennis anti-doping programme, a player who “disputes all or part of a charge” can seek a hearing before an independent tribunal which hears and determines the dispute.
Under ITIA rules, the independent tribunal and panel “will conduct its activities, including hearings, in accordance with ISRM Article 8, and without interference from the ITIA or the ITF or any third party.” But Halep shared her frustration as she claimed the ITF didn’t “accept” her evidence that she had ingested a contaminated substance and had cancelled her hearing.
“I have sent the evidence to the ITF and they denied it. I sent it in December when we first worked on it. The ITF denied it and we are still going through it. Since the ITF denied it, the only chance this case has to be solved is to go to the tribunal to have a hearing about my case, and present all the evidence that my positive test was contaminated,” she alleged.
One of Halep’s former coaches revealed that she had a hearing date at the end of February 28 but it was later pushed back to the end of March. And the former world No 1 claimed: “A hearing on February 28th didn’t happen because the ITF requested more time to do additional testing.
“Even if I was looking through that, the hearing was postponed to March 24th. The ITF requested that the hearing on March 24th should be cancelled. I did not agree with that because as the rule says, a player that is provisionally suspended is entitled to get an expedited hearing. Everything takes so long. I asked the ITF to lift my sanction to be able to play but they also refused it.”
“It’s been seven months since I’ve been originally suspended even though I’ve had all the evidence since December. I’m not asking for special treatment. I just ask to be judged. How much longer is this going to take?”
It remains to be seen whether Halep’s independent tribunal goes ahead at the end of May. The Romanian was ranked inside the world’s top 10 when her suspension was announced and wishes to compete again, adding: “I really want to play again because I love this sport and I want to play for the big titles again. I have worked all my life for this.”
Express Sport has contacted the ITF for further comment.
For all the latest Sports News Click Here
For the latest news and updates, follow us on Google News.
