Simona Halep has criticized tennis’s anti-doping our bodies for time and again delaying her unbiased tribunal listening to and no longer permitting her the danger to protect herself in opposition to a rule violation.
Halep, a two-time grand slam champion and previous international No. 1, has been provisionally suspended since August after trying out certain for the drug Roxadustat following her US Open first-round loss. Roxadustat is essentially an anti-anaemia drugs that catalyses purple blood mobile introduction within the frame. Halep denies knowingly taking the banned substance.
According to Halep, her listening to used to be first of all scheduled for February 28, which gave her hope that she would know whether or not or no longer she may compete at Indian Wells. Anti-doping assessments had been administered via the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) since 2022 however Halep gave the impression to point out that her case is beneath the remit of the International Tennis Federation (ITF).
Speaking publicly for the primary time since saying she had gained the anti-doping rule violation, Halep stated that the February listening to used to be ultimately postponed to 24 March because the ITF required extra time for extra trying out, however the next date used to be additionally postponed. Halep’s tribunal listening to is now scheduled for 28 May, the primary day of the French Open.
“The next step is a hearing at the end of May, the 28th, but it is very fragile because the ITF said that they might cancel it as well,” she stated. “If they do that, it will be almost eight months since I’ve been provisionally suspended for the first time and I believe that it’s not fair to spend eight months without even being judged by the tribunal.
“Emotionally, the whole period has not been easy and I just felt the need to speak out loud to my fans, to my supporters, and actually to the whole public,” continued Halep in an interview with Tennis Majors, which lists Patrick Mouratoglou, Halep’s coach, as a member of its staff.
Halep says that she sought the advice of “experts” who provided her with evidence that she unknowingly took contaminated supplements due to a mistake from the company that sells the supplements. Halep says she presented her evidence to the ITF in December, but the organization chose to proceed with an anti-doping tribunal. Halep declined to name the experts as she has retained them for her tribunal.
“I had never heard about it so I didn’t know how I could take it, and actually how it could be in my urine. After a lot of work they found out that there was a contamination, a supplement contamination, and that’s why the quantity was so, so low in my body,” said Halep.
Halep says she has continued to train and she remains motivated to return to professional tennis and re-establish herself at the top, but at 31 years old every passing day on the sideline makes a comeback more difficult. Halep says she is primarily concerned with finally having the opportunity to defend her case.
“It’s been seven months since I’ve been originally suspended even though I’ve had all the evidence since December,” she stated. “I’m no longer inquiring for particular remedy. I simply ask to be judged. How for much longer is that this going to take?
Tennis majors reported that the ITF stated it used to be no longer able to touch upon Halep’s complaint. The ITIA has been contacted for remark.