Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, ninth in the world, has been provisionally suspended after testing positive for Roxadustat, an anemia drug that increases the production of erythropoietin and which appears on the list of substances not authorized by the World Anti-Doping Agency.
"Simona Halep, a 31-year-old Romanian tennis player, has been provisionally suspended under Article 7.12.1 of the 2022 Tennis Anti-Doping Program (TADP)," the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) announced on Friday.
The athlete, winner of two Grand Slams, has confirmed the suspension through a statement shared on her social networks in which she explains that she has been notified that she has tested positive for Roxadustat, "in an extremely low amount."
"During my entire career, the idea of cheating has never crossed my mind even once, as it is against all the values I have been raised with. Facing such an unfair situation I feel completely confused and betrayed", he recounted in an emotional message.
Halep, ninth in the world, assures that she will fight to prove her innocence: "I will fight to the end to prove that I never knowingly took any prohibited substance, and I have faith that sooner or later, the truth will come to light." ". "It is not for the titles or the money. It is for the honor and for the love story that I have lived with tennis for the last 25 years," the text ends.
The former World No.1 won Roland Garros in 2018 and Wimbledon in 2019, beating 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams in the final. Halep, 31, had recently announced that she would be taking the rest of this season off after undergoing nose surgery to improve her breathing.
The ITIA has explained that the samples were taken last August, during the US Open. Following the usual protocol, two different samples were taken. The A sample tested positive for Roxadustat (FG-4592) "a prohibited substance included in the 2022 World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Prohibited Substances List."
Halep exercised her right to request that the B sample be analyzed and this confirmed the positive, explained the international organization. "While he is provisionally suspended, the player is not eligible to compete in or attend any sanctioned tennis event organized by the sport's governing bodies," the statement concluded.
