The ITIA announced the punishment Friday for Halep, a former
No. 1 player who is currently No. 9 in the WTA rankings. She won Wimbledon in
2019, beating 23-time major champion Serena Williams in the final, and the
French Open in 2018.
In a social media post, Halep called the news of her
positive test “the biggest shock of my life,” adding: “Facing such an unfair
situation, I feel completely confused and betrayed.”
“I will fight until the end to prove that I never knowingly
took any prohibited substance,” Halep wrote, “and I have faith that sooner or
later, the truth will come out.”
She is the most prominent tennis player to face a doping ban
since five-time Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova tested positive for a newly
banned substance at the 2016 Australian Open. Sharapova initially was given a
two-year suspension but appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which
reduced the penalty, ruling she bore “less than significant fault” in the case
and could not “be considered to be an intentional doper.”
Halep, a 31-year-old from Romania, announced in September
she was taking the rest of this season off after having nose surgery to improve
her breathing. She considered retiring early this year after a series of
injuries, but then said she felt rejuvenated after teaming up in April with
coach Patrick Mouratoglou, who used to work with Williams.
Seeded No. 7 at the U.S. Open, Halep lost in the first round
to Daria Snigur of Ukraine 6-2, 0-6, 6-4 on Aug. 30. It was the first
tour-level win of Snigur’s career.
Spokesmen for the U.S. Tennis Association and Mouratoglou
declined comment.
The ITIA said Halep tested positive in New York for the
banned substance Roxadustat, a drug approved for medical use in the European
Union to treat the symptoms of anemia caused by chronic kidney failure.
Halep said she was told her test showed “an extremely low
quantity.”
According to the EU’s medicines agency, which approved
Roxadustat last year, it stimulates the body to produce more of the natural
hormone erythropoietin, or EPO, which has long been a doping product favored by
cyclists and distance runners.
Seeded No. 7 at the U.S. Open, Halep lost in the first round
to Daria Snigur of Ukraine 6-2, 0-6, 6-4 on Aug. 30. It was the first
tour-level win of Snigur’s career.
Spokesmen for the U.S. Tennis Association and Mouratoglou
declined comment.
The ITIA said Halep tested positive in New York for the
banned substance Roxadustat, a drug approved for medical use in the European
Union to treat the symptoms of anemia caused by chronic kidney failure.
Halep said she was told her test showed “an extremely low
quantity.”
According to the EU’s medicines agency, which approved
Roxadustat last year, it stimulates the body to produce more of the natural
hormone erythropoietin, or EPO, which has long been a doping product favored by
cyclists and distance runners.
During a provisional suspension, a tennis player is
ineligible to compete in, or attend, any sanctioned events.
Under the World Anti-Doing Code, Halep faces a ban of up to
four years for a positive test for a substance like Roxadustat. Athletes can
earn a reduction in their ban if they quickly admit an offense and accept their
sanction.
Tennis authorities will handle Halep’s case and any ruling
can be challenged by the World Anti-Doping Agency in an appeal to the Court of
Arbitration for Sport.
“Today begins the hardest match of my life: a fight for the
truth,” Halep wrote Friday. -AP
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