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“I am happy to have the opportunity to present and prove my innocence before an independent tribunal.” With these words, the two-time slam champion Simona Halep has always maintained, regarding the doping accusations, that the origin of the positivity was food supplements from which the presence of the drug never emerged.
“I have always been careful about what I put in my body and have never taken something without checking. There was no reason for me to take it – it would have worked against me. It is not a substance capable of helping me,” she said.
What will happen now to Simona Halep? Are there really any chances that the Romanian tennis player will be acquitted? There is one thing I would like to underline in this regard. It is clear that this trial determine the professional future of the two-time Slam champion on a tennis court.
The accusations against Simona Halep: what will happen now?
Last August, following the 2022 US Open, news arrived that shook the world of women’s tennis. Simona Halep tested positive for roxadustat, a banned substance that would have impaired her performance.
The Romanian was later found guilty of irregularities in her biological passport, bringing the charges to two. The 32-year-old would therefore have violated violations of the Tennis Anti-Doping Program (TADP) and in September 2023 the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) ruled that Halep would serve a four-year suspension for doping.
However, it was news a few days ago that the former number one will present her defense to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in February 2024, to safeguard his innocence from doping accusations. The Swiss-based organization announced on its official website on December 12 that the 32-year-old’s case will be heard in court between February 7 and 9 next year. Halep will be able to prove her innocence
