Romania’s Simona Halep has been provisionally suspended for doping, confirmed the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) on Friday.
Simona Halep : Suspended | Doping | Ranking
Simona Halep is a Romanian professional tennis player.
| Born | 27 September 1991 Constanța, Romania |
|---|---|
| Height | 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in) |
| Turned pro | 26 June 2006 |
| Plays | Right-handed (two-handed backhand) |
| Coach | Patrick Mouratoglou |
Halep was the year-end No. 1 in 2017 and 2018. She has won two Grand Slam singles titles: the 2018 French Open and the 2019 Wimbledon Championships.
During this seven-year span, she finished each year ranked no lower than No. 4. She has won 24 WTA Tour singles titles and finished runner-up 18 times.
Simona Halep Suspended
Former world number one Simona Halep said Friday she will “fight until the end” to prove she did not knowingly take a prohibited substance after she was provisionally suspended for doping.
A sample that Halep provided during the US Open in August showed traces of Roxadustat, a drug that stimulates the production of red blood cells and is used in the treatment of patients with kidney problems, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) said.
Halep, the current world number nine, said the positive test was “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,” the Romanian tweeted.
“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.”
Doping
Simona Halep said Friday she will “fight until the end” to prove she did not knowingly take a prohibited substance after she was provisionally suspended for doping.
In competitive sports, doping is the use of banned athletic performance-enhancing drugs by athletic competitors as a way of cheating in sports. The term doping is widely used by organizations that regulate sporting competitions.
The use of drugs to enhance performance is considered unethical, and therefore prohibited, by most international sports organizations, including the International Olympic Committee.
Furthermore, athletes (or athletic programs) taking explicit measures to evade detection exacerbate the ethical violation with overt deception and cheating.
A sample that Halep provided during the US Open in August showed traces of Roxadustat, a drug that stimulates the production of red blood cells and is used in the treatment of patients with kidney problems, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) said.
Simona Halep Ranking
She has been ranked world No. 1 in singles twice between 2017 and 2019, for a total of 64 weeks, which ranks eleventh in the history of the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) rankings.
| Singles | |
|---|---|
| Career record | 579–238 (70.9%) |
| Career titles | 24 |
| Highest ranking | No. 1 (9 October 2017) |
| Current ranking | No. 9 (12 September 2022) |
At the Cincinnati Masters, Halep withdrew from her second round match against Veronika Kudermetova due to thigh injury, after having defeated Anastasia Potapova in first round.
| Doubles | |
|---|---|
| Career record | 67–71 (48.6%) |
| Career titles | 1 |
| Highest ranking | No. 71 (15 May 2017) |
| Current ranking | No. 480 (26 September 2022) |
She became the player with the joint-most WTA 1000 18 finals to level with Serena Williams since 2009. She won her 24th title and third at the same tournament for the first time in her career defeating Beatriz Haddad Maia.
As a result she returned to the top 10 in the rankings at world No. 6 and is the leader with the most WTA 1000 level wins ever at 185 total.