Simona Halep asks for an independent trial after additional doping charges

Former world number one Simona Halep has asked for a ruling by an independent tribunal after the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) charged her with a new and separate violation of the Tennis Anti-Doping Program (TADP) on Friday.

The 31-year-old former Wimbledon and French Open champion has been provisionally banned from competition since October 2022 after testing positive for the banned blood booster roxadustat at the US Open last year.

Halep asked tennis’ anti-doping board to allow her name to be cleared, questioning the long delay in her doping trial after she was denied the right to be heard by an independent tribunal.

Not only has my name been sullied in the worst possible way, I am also facing ITIA’s constant determination, for reasons I do not understand, to prove my guilt, even though I have NEVER even thought of taking any illegal substance, said the Romanian. athlete on Twitter in a statement.

Halep, who has vehemently denied knowingly taking the banned substance, said she has evidence that small amounts of the anemia drug entered her system from the tainted licence.

I tried twice to get a chance to be tried by an independent tribunal, but ITIA has kept finding reasons to delay.

The only thing I hope for at this point is that I will finally have access to independent and impartial judges in the court, which will give me the opportunity to prove my innocence, he added.

I have full confidence in the court and look forward to finally presenting my case at my hearing scheduled for the end of May after several ITIA delays.

The additional charge relates to irregularities in Haleps’ Athlete Biological Passport (ABP), based on an independent ABP expert panel’s assessment of her profile.

We understand that today’s announcement adds complexity to an already high-profile situation… We remain committed to engaging with Ms Halep in an empathetic, effective and timely manner, said ITIA Director of Anti-Doping Nicole Sapstead. , in a statement.

It would be inappropriate for us to comment on the details until the process is complete, but we will continue to work with the Sport Resolutions independent tribunal and Ms Haleps’ representatives as quickly as possible.