Former World No.1 Simona Halep has lashed out at the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) after she was charged with a fresh doping charge in a brutal blow in her bid to clear her name. Halep, a two-time grand slam champion, was left shocked last year when the ITIA announced she had tested positive for the blood-boosting drug Roxadustat at the US Open.
The 31-year-old was provisionally suspended pending a hearing. Halep immediately announced she would fight the finding and claimed she has never cheated throughout her career.
In a frustrating process, Halep confirmed the trial has been pushed back twice as she fights to clear her name. But in a stunning development, the ITIA has announced a fresh doping charge against Halep.
“The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) confirms that Romanian tennis player Simona Halep has been charged with a further and separate breach of the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme (TADP), relating to irregularities in her Athlete Biological Passport (ABP),” a statement read.
The additional charge of an Adverse Passport Finding was based on an assessment of Ms. Halep’s ABP profile by an independent ABP Expert Panel. That charge is separate and in addition to the existing Roxadustat charge from August 2022 which triggered Ms. Halep’s original provisional suspension.”
The news left Halep floored. The two-time grand slam champion immediately hit back at the result and alleged she was being ‘harassed’ throughout the ordeal in her bid to clear her name.
“Since October 7, when I got charged by the ITIA, for a suspicion of doping, I have lived the worst nightmare I have ever gone through in my life. Not only has my name been soiled in the worst possible way, but I am facing a constant determination from the ITIA for a reason that I cannot understand, to prove my guilt while I haven’t ever even thought of taking an illicit substance,” she wrote on social media after the latest update.
