Simona Halep is awaiting a verdict from the Court of Arbitration for Sport after three days of hearings in Lausanne, and the former WTA leader has released a message in which she spoke of the “nightmare” she endured for a year and a half due to the doping scandal.

Simona Halep at the TAS headquarters in LausannePhoto: Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP / Profimedia

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Simona Halep: “I have never resorted to doping. This is what I said from the first day when I was accused.”

The two-time Grand Slam winner thanked everyone for their support and said she was confident she would be able to prove her innocence before the CAS judges.

“The nightmare I lived for a year and a half is over. I had a chance to defend myself in CAS to prove that I never resorted to doping. This is what I said from the first day I was accused.

Now I await the decision with my head held high and I want to thank you, my fans, players and former players, legends of the sport, my sponsors and everyone else for the wonderful support, all the messages and videos you have made for me during these difficult times, that we have experienced.

Thank you for your unconditional trust. This support meant everything to me and gave me the strength to continue fighting every day to show the truth.

I will share with you all the news about my case as soon as I get it. I wish you all the best. Good and truth always win” – Simona Halep on Instagram.

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Check out this Instagram post

A post shared by Simona Halep (@simonahalep)

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).
  • Simona exhausted her only recourse: the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne.
  • Halep was heard at the CAS on February 7-9, 2024.
  • A Swiss court said the former WTA leader had asked to overturn the decision of the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) and “reduce” its sanctions.
  • If the 4-year disqualification remains in force, then the ex-WTA leader can theoretically return to the tennis court on October 6, 2026. Halep would have turned 35 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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