Simona Halep Faces 2 Year Ban From Tennis As Former World Number 1 Suspended for Failing a Dope Test

Simona Halep Faces 2 Year Ban From Tennis As Former World Number 1 Suspended for Failing a Dope Test

Chukwu Ikechukwu
updated at April 12, 2023 at 8:14 PM
  • Simona Halep has been provisionally suspended from tennis after testing positive for a banned substance during this year’s US Open
  • Halep, who won the French Open in 2018 and Wimbledon the following year, said that she had tested positive for Roxadustat
  • Halep has won two titles on the WTA Tour this year, with her best Grand Slam result coming at Wimbledon, where she reached the semi-finals

Simona Halep who is a two-time Grand Slam winner has been provisionally suspended by The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) for failing a dope test.

The 31-year-old had tested positive for Roxadustat in an extremely low quantity during the US Open. Roxadustat is an anti-anaemia drug that stimulates the production of red blood cells in the body.

Simona Halep, Tennis, Romania, Wimbledon, US Open, Serena Williams, Rafel Nadal, Roger Federer
Simona Halep risks being banned from tennis for up to 2 years after failing a doping test. Photo by Quality Sport Images
Source: Getty Images

According to Anadolu Agency, Halep exercised her right to request that her B sample be analyzed after the A sample had been confirmed to contain Roxadustat.

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The Romanian tennis star now faces up to a two-year ban from tennis and will be ineligible to compete in or attend any sanctioned tennis events organized by the governing bodies of the sport.

Halep becomes the highest-profile tennis player to fail a drug test since Maria Sharapova in 2016.

Halep in shock over doping result

Meanwhile, Simona Halep has revealed she was in shock after it was revealed she had failed a doping test during the US Open and has vowed to clear her name, BBC reports.

The Romanian who won the French Open in 2018 and Wimbledon a year later took to social media to express her innocence, stating cheating was never part of her game.

In addition to her two WTA Tour victories this year, Halep's best Grand Slam performance came at Wimbledon, where she advanced to the semifinals.

Serena Williams bids farewell to Tennis

Earlier, Sports Brief reported Tennis star Serena Williams has revealed plans retire from tennis after the US open as a lucrative career comes to an end.

Williams wrote in the latest issue of Vogue that she planned on ‘evolving’ away from the sport to concentrate on her family.

She also revealed she and her hubby, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian were trying for baby number 2.

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Chukwu Ikechukwu
Chukwu Ikechukwu Godwin is a journalist with over 9 years of experience in the Nigerian media industry. He has worked both in Radio (Today FM, Rhythm FM, Wish FM) and Television (Silverbird TV) as a Sports Analyst..
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