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The two-time Grand Slam winner from Romania has
not played since the 2022 U.S. Open, when she lost in the first
round as the No. 7 seed to Ukrainian qualifier Daria Snigur.
Last October, she was provisionally suspended by the ITIA after
a positive test for the banned substance roxadustat at the 2021
U.S. Open. In May, the ITIA filed a second charge against her
after the organization said it found discrepancies in her
biological passport, which reveals the effects of doping.
Halep, from Romania, has denied all charges.
"It is of the utmost importance for players to be aware of the
Tennis Anti-Doping Program rules and to follow them," the WTA
said in a prepared statement. "The WTA will support the
decisions reached through the process and will continue to
follow this closely."
Halep has the right to appeal the ruling and said she plans to
do so. If the suspension is not overturned or reduced, she is
prohibited from playing pro tennis until Oct. 6, 2026.
"The last year has been the hardest match of my life, and
unfortunately my fight continues," Halep posted to social media
Tuesday. "I have devoted my life to the beautiful game of
tennis. I take the rules that govern our sport very seriously
and take pride in the fact that I have never knowingly or
intentionally used any prohibited substance. I refused to accept
their decision of a four-year ban."
Halep has acknowledged adjusting her nutritional supplements in
the summer of 2022 on the advice of her "trusted team and
physiotherapist" and said one of the supplements contained
roxadustat, which wasn't listed as an ingredient. She said
subsequent tests came back negative.
"I am continuing to train and do everything in my power to clear
my name of these false allegations and return to the court," she
said. "I intend to appeal this decision to The Court of
Arbitration for Sport and pursue all legal remedies against the
supplement company in question."
Halep reached No. 1 on Oct. 9, 2017. She has 24 career singles
titles, including wins at the French Open in 2018 and Wimbledon
in 2019. Her career earnings total $40.2 million.
--Field Level Media
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