Simona Halep, the former French Open and Wimbledon champion, took to social media on Friday to describe her provisional suspension for doping as the "greatest shock of her life," adding that she would battle until the end to prove that she did not intentionally take any illegal substance.
The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) suspended Simona Halep on Friday after she tested positive for the banned drug roxadustat. Halep was tested during the US Open in August, and both her A and B samples tested positive for the substance.
Simona's doping ban is the first high-profile case since Maria Sharapova was handed a 2-year ban for doping in 2016.
"The sample was split into A and B samples and the subsequent analysis found that the A sample contained FG-4592 (Roxadustat), which is a prohibited substance listed in the 2022 World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Prohibited List," the ITIA said in its statement.
Simona Halep said in an emotional statement that the idea of cheating never crossed her mind and she would prove her innocence soon.
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"Throughout my whole career, the idea of cheating never even crossed my mind once, as it is totally against all the values I have been educated with. 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 and I have faith that sooner or later, the truth will come out.
"It’s not about the titles or the money, it’s about honour, and love story I have developed with the game of tennis over the last 25 years," Halep said.
Notably, Halep, who had reached the Wimbledon semi-finals in 2022 despite an injury-plagued previous season, was knocked out in the first round of the US Open in New York.
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