Simona Halep charged with second doping offense over irregularities in biological passport

Two-time Grand Slam champion Simona Halep has been charged with a second doping offense by the International Tennis Integrity Agency for irregularities in her Athlete Biological Passport.

ITIA said the charge announced on Friday is “separate and in addition to the provisional suspension Halep received last year after failing a drug test during the US Open in August”.

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Halep is the 31-year-old from Romania, who reached No. 1 in the WTA rankings in 2017. She won Wimbledon in 2019, a year after winning the French Open, defeating 23-time major champion Serena Williams in the final.

ITIA said the new charge was “based on an assessment” of Halep’s biological passport profile by an expert panel. Such passports provide a baseline reading of substances in an athlete’s body and are thought to be a way to help chart doping.

“We understand that today’s announcement adds complexity to an already high-profile situation. From the outset of this process – and indeed any at ITIA – we look forward to engaging with Ms. Halep in a sympathetic, efficient and timely manner remain committed,” Nicole Sapstead, senior director of the anti-doping group, said in a statement.

In a social media post, Halep wrote on Friday that she “has gone through the worst nightmare I have ever had in my life” since ITIA initially made the allegations.

She continued, saying that her “name has been tarnished in the worst possible way” and that ITIA is “determined to prove my guilt even though I have never thought of taking any illegal substances”. “

Halep’s post says she was a “victim of contamination” and has always been “against fraud of any kind”.

“I look forward to finally being able to present my case at my hearing scheduled for late May,” she said.

Halep is the most prominent tennis player to face a doping ban since five-time Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova tested positive for a new banned substance at the 2016 Australian Open. Sharapova was initially given a two-year suspension, but appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which reduced the penalty, ruling that she was “less than at significant fault” in the case and that she was “not a deliberate doper”. could be considered.”

Before her provisional suspension was made public, Halep announced in September that she was taking the remainder of the previous season off after undergoing nose surgery to improve her breathing. He had already considered retiring in 2022 after a series of injuries, but then said he felt rejuvenated after teaming up with coach Patrick Mouratoglou, who used to work with Williams.

Seeded No. 7 at the US Open, Halep lost in the first round on 30 August to Ukraine’s Daria Snigur. It was the first Tour-level victory of Snigur’s career.

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ITIA said Halep tested positive for the banned substance roxudastat in New York, a drug approved for medical use in the European Union to treat symptoms of anemia caused by chronic kidney failure.

According to the European Union’s medicines agency, which approved roxudastat last year, it stimulates the body to produce more of the natural hormone erythropoietin, or EPO, which has long been favored by cyclists and distance runners. Vala has been a doping product.

During a provisional suspension, a tennis player is ineligible to compete or participate in any sanctioned event.

(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – associated Press,