The former tennis world number one Simona Halep (Romania) has to answer for another violation of the anti-doping regulations.
As the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) announced on Friday, “irregularities in the biological passport” were found in the two-time Grand Slam winner. Halep has been provisionally banned since October 2022 due to a positive doping test.
In a statement, the ITIA emphasized that the step was taken “separately and in addition” to the procedure due to the positive test from August 2022. In the case of the 31-year-old, the banned substance roxadustat, which is used among other things for kidney problems, was detected in a test at the US Open in A and B samples. This increases the number of red blood cells and, like EPO, leads to better oxygen supply.
“We understand that today’s announcement adds complexity to an already challenging situation,” said Nicole Sapstead, ITIA’s senior anti-doping director.
“I knowingly did not take any prohibited substances,” Halep said in an interview with tennismajors.com in April: “I am a big supporter of clean sport and have always been an opponent of doping. At the beginning I had no idea where it came from substance comes.” A hearing on the first doping case is scheduled for May 28th.