Kim Clijsters (former WTA leader) and Andy Roddick (former winner of the first place in the ATP hierarchy) widely commented on the doping case involving Simona Halep. Both talked about the great guilt of Patrik Muratoglu regarding the four-year ban that Simona received.

Simona Halep, TASPhoto: Laurent Gillieron/AP/Profimedia

>> Good news for Simona Halep – the supplement used contained ingredients from China

Kim Clijsters says that Simona Halep was manipulated by Patrick Muratoglu

Andy and Kim commented on the doping scandal involving Halep. All this happened in the last episode of the podcast “Served with Andy Roddick”.

“For me, the biggest red flag (not in this whole doping scandal) is, you know, the team,” Kim Clijsters said.

“I don’t know Simona very well, but I know her enough to believe that she didn’t do something on purpose, risking her career in the situation she’s in now. From my point of view, the biggest red flag is the team.

I understand that he was taking these supplements and that he should have informed himself better. I was in a situation where I got sick and I had to check everything I consumed, no matter what the doctor recommended, I had to check with the WTA and the Anti-Doping Agency if everything is okay and if I can get permission If you don’t, there is always a risk that something could go wrong,” Clijsters continued.

“But in a situation like this, especially with the women, when you have coaches that take over your team, where they’re, I mean, I call it manipulation, I can’t think of another word for it.

To take control of everything that happens to an athlete… I have a hard time agreeing with that, you know, in this case it’s about Patrick.

It is very difficult for me to understand that there are no consequences for the team, as if it is only about the athlete,” concluded Kim Clijsters.

Andy Roddick: Patrick Muratoglu, this Puff Daddy of tennis

Roddick described Simona’s former coach in a special way. Andy compares Patrick Muratoglu to American artist Puff Daddy (real name Sean John Combs).

“It’s like, well, you know, this guy who came in is great at self-promotion. His website, I went to it the other day and there are about 18 different photo shoots.

It’s like a ready-made situation. I say he looks like Puff Daddy who was in all the 90’s music videos. Now that’s how he is with the players’ lodges,” Roddick believes.

Andy shares Clijsters’ point of view and believes that Muratoglu did not do enough for Simona, although his team is responsible for the positive anti-doping test of the ex-WTA leader.

“In a way, I feel the same way. I don’t know what the penalty is and I understand how the rules are written. If I did, if I was involved in giving someone something and if they trusted me, I’d be there trying to collect ‘as many bullets as possible’ for that person,” he concluded. Roddick reports sportskeeda.com, whose source refers to News.ro.

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).