Top women’s tennis player Simona Halep has been temporarily suspended due to a doping violation.
18:44•Updated 18:53
Former world number one in tennis Simona Halep has been temporarily banned from competition due to doping, says ITIA, the body that oversees the ethics of tennis (you will switch to another service). The Romanian gave a positive doping sample at the US Open tennis tournament in August.
A substance called Roxadustat was found in the sample of 31-year-old Halep, which is on the World Anti-Doping Agency WADA’s list of prohibited substances. The substance increases red blood cells and, at the same time, the flow of oxygen to the muscles, i.e. endurance properties improve.
Halep, who is ninth in the latest women’s singles world ranking, denies knowingly using any banned substance. According to him, an “infinitely small amount” of Roxadustat was found.
– During my career, it never even occurred to me that I would cheat. This is completely against my values and at the same time the biggest shock of my life. The game has all my honor and a love story for tennis for more than 25 years, wrote Halep on her Twitter account.
According to the news agency AP, Roxadustat is used in Europe to treat anemia caused by kidney disease. Here it is known by the brand name Evrenzo.
Halep is threatened with a four-year ban. Athletes can have their suspensions reduced, likely to three years, if they quickly admit their wrongdoing and accept their punishment.
– Today starts the hardest match of my life; a fight for the truth, Halep said on Friday.
The World Anti-Doping Agency’s decision can be appealed to the International Court of Appeal for Sports, CAS.
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