In early February, Simona Halep will be heard by the International Court of Arbitration (ICA), and the two-time Grand Slam winner is training in the hope that she will be able to return to the tennis court.

Simona HalepPhoto: USA TODAY Network / ddp USA / Profimedia

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Simona Halep trains with Yutaka Nakamura

Appearing alongside Jez Manso (a physical trainer from the Philippines), Halep posted photos of herself training with Yutaka Nakamura, a strength trainer.

“Sometimes on a ship… most of the time at work,” is the message posted by the former WTA leader on Instastory.

A Japanese describes himself as an “internationally recognized leader and motivator in the world of professional sports training” and is a member of the Japanese Olympic Committee.

He was part of Maria Sharapova’s team for seven years (2011-2018) and helped her win two titles at Roland Garros (2012, 2014). The Russian woman also appears in the latest post of the Japanese man on Instagram.

Naomi Osaka, Jennifer Capirati, Amanda Anisimova, Kei Nishikori, Denis Shapovalov, Sebastian Korda, Tommy Haas, Mary Pearce, Max Mirny are just some of the names who have worked with Nakamura.

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Maria Sharapova and Yutaka Nakamura:

Check out this Instagram post

A post shared by Yutaka Nakamura (@yutakanakamura_)

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What you need to know about Simona Halep’s doping case

  • The news that Simona Halep was temporarily suspended for doping appeared on Friday, October 21, 2022.
  • Simona’s case was heard by Sport Resolutions, an independent tribunal in London that hears doping cases in white sport.
  • Halep was suspended for 4 years for two separate violations of the Tennis Anti-Doping Program (TADP): the presence and use of the substance roxadustat in a urine sample collected after an anti-doping test conducted at the 2022 US Open (1) and a violation of her biological passport (2).
  • Simone has only one appeal: the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne.
  • According to the Court of Arbitration for Sport on its official website, Halep will be heard by CAS on February 7-9, 2024.
  • The Swiss court said that the ex-leader of the WTA asked to cancel the decision of the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) and “reduce” its sanctions.
  • If the 4-year disqualification remains in force, the ex-WTA leader can theoretically return to the tennis court on October 6, 2026. Halep will be 35 years old at that time.
  • On August 29, 2022, Simona Halep played her last official match on the world circuit. At the US Open, in the inaugural round, our athlete unexpectedly defeated Daria Snigur (at that time, 124th place in the WTA, based on the qualification).

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