Two-time Grand Slam champion Simona Halep has been handed a ban until October 2026 due to two separate anti-doping rule violations, according to the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA). The 31-year-old Romanian, a former Wimbledon and French Open champion, had been provisionally suspended since October 2022 following a positive test for the banned blood-booster roxadustat at the US Open in the same year.
The ITIA released a statement explaining the situation, stating, “The first [charge] related to an Adverse Analytical Finding (AAF) for the prohibited substance roxadustat at the US Open in 2022, carried out through regular urine testing during competition.” Halep vehemently denied knowingly taking the banned substance and argued that small amounts of the anemia drug had entered her system from a licensed supplement that was contaminated.
The ITIA acknowledged Halep’s assertion of a contaminated supplement but determined that the volume ingested could not account for the concentration of roxadustat detected in the positive sample.
The second charge pertained to irregularities in Halep’s Athlete Biological Passport (ABP). The ITIA confirmed that the ABP charge was upheld, as three independent experts unanimously concluded that “likely doping” was the explanation for the irregularities in Halep’s profile.
It is important to note that the case remains subject to appeal.
Simona Halep, a former world number one in the WTA rankings in 2017, boasts a remarkable tennis career, including victories at Wimbledon in 2019 and the French Open. However, her recent doping violations have cast a shadow over her achievements.
