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Halep, ranked ninth in the world, was tested during the U.S.
Open and both her A and B samples confirmed the presence of
roxadustat, an anti-anaemia drug that stimulates the production
of red blood cells much like the prohibited substance
Erythropoietin (EPO).
"Simona Halep, a 31-year-old Romanian tennis player, has been
provisionally suspended under Article 7.12.1 of the 2022 Tennis
Anti-Doping Programme (TADP)," the body said in a statement.
"The sample was split into A and B samples and the subsequent
analysis found that the A sample contained FG-4592 (Roxadustat),
which is a prohibited substance listed in the 2022 World
Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Prohibited List."
The 2019 Wimbledon champion later requested for her B sample to
be analysed, which confirmed the initial findings.
Former world number one Halep described the ban as the "biggest
shock of her life" and denied knowingly taking any banned
substance.
"Today begins the hardest match of my life: a fight for the
truth. I have been notified that I have tested positive for a
substance called Roxadustat in an extremely low quantity, she
wrote on Twitter.
"Throughout my whole career, the idea of cheating never even
crossed my mind once, as it is totally against all the values I
have been educated with. Facing such an unfair situation, I feel
completely confused and betrayed."
Halep, who also won at Roland Garros in 2018, added that her
fight was not about "titles or money" but her honour and she
hoped that the truth would eventually come out.
Maria Sharapova was the last high-profile tennis player to be
involved in a doping scandal after the Russian tested positive
for meldonium at the 2016 Australian Open and was initially
banned for two years before it was reduced to 15 months.
Halep's suspension means that she cannot compete in or attend
any sanctioned events organised by the governing bodies of the
tennis.
Halep, the winner of two titles this season, ended her season
early after undergoing nose surgery last month to treat
breathing difficulties.
(Reporting by Dhruv Munjal in Bengaluru; Editing by Frank Jack
Daniel and Pritha Sarkar)
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