Simona Halep ‘Shocked and Disappointed’ After Doping Ban by ITIA

Two-time Grand Slam champion Simona Halep will be ineligible to play professional tennis until October 2026 after the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) found that the Romanian violated the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme (TADP) at the ’22 U.S. Open.

Halep was discovered to have roxadustat in her system at the Grand Slam tournament last year, which prompted a suspension by the ITIA. The investigation also found that there were “irregularities in Halep’s Athlete Biological Passport (ABP).”

Roxadustat is a drug approved for medical use in the European Union to treat the symptoms of anemia caused by chronic kidney failure, according to the Associated Press.

The 31-year-old received a four-year ban, which will end in 2026 as she’s been suspended since October ’22.

Halep released a statement following the ITIA’s announcement, noting she plans to appeal the ITIA’s decision and she will take legal action against the supplement company she used.

“I refuse to accept their decision of a four-year ban,” Halep said. “While I am grateful to finally have an outcome following numerous unfounded delays and a feeling of living in purgatory for over a year, I am both shocked and disappointed by their decision. I am eternally grateful for the outpouring of support I have received from my family, friends, and tennis fans around the world.

“I am continuing to train and do everything in my power to clear my name of these false allegations and return to the court.”

Halep previously won the 2018 French Open and ’19 Wimbledon, and she was ranked No. 1 in the world in ’17.