Simona Halep discovers length of possible ban after testing positive for banned drug
Simona Halep has discovered the potential ban she could face after testing positive for the banned substance Roxadustat. The International Tennis Integrity Agency confirmed Halep had been provisionally suspended from competing in a statement on Friday.
The ITIA’s statement read: “The subsequent analysis found that the A sample contained FG-4592 (Roxadustat), which is a prohibited substance listed in the 2022 World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Prohibited List. Adverse Analytical Findings for non-specified substances carry a mandatory provisional suspension.
“The player exercised their right to request that the B sample was analysed, which confirmed the finding in the A sample. While provisionally suspended, the player is ineligible to compete in or attend any sanctioned tennis events organised by the governing bodies of the sport.”
In response, the two-time Grand Slam winner pledged her innocence, claiming she will ‘fight until the end to prove that she never knowingly took any prohibited substance’. Halep wrote on social media: “Today begins the hardest match of my life: a fight for the truth
“I have been notified that I have tested positive for a substance called Roxadustat in an extremely low quantity, which came as 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.
