Frustrated Simona Halep lashes out at WTA Players’ Council for denying her request to ‘restore’ her ‘rankings’ after doping saga
Former World No.1 Simona Halep revealed how after her comeback she approached the WTA Players' Council for help.
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Simona Halep (Image via X)
If there’s one player who was deeply injured because of the verdicts of the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) on Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek‘s doping cases was Simona Halep. She played her first match after serving her nine-month ban in March this year at the Miami Open and in the same month, Sinner failed two drug tests.
A small amount of clostebol was found in his body and the ITIA announced Sinner’s case in August. In August, Swiatek failed a test as melatonin, which she was consuming for jet lag and sleep issues, was contaminated with the banned drug trimetazidine. When Swiatek’s case was also made public, it distressed Halep a great deal because both these top players did not face a lengthy ban.
The Romanian was handed at first a four-year ban by the ITIA for consuming roxadustat but it was reduced after her appeal before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). Following her comeback, Halep requested the WTA to restore her rankings but it was turned down. She was World No. 9 when she tested positive for roxadustat.
After I returned to the court after a nine-month suspension, I asked for my ranking to be restored because it is very difficult to wait for a wild card. I realized that the WTA Players’ Council did not want to give me the ranking I had in July last year, and the WTA did not agree.
Simona Halep told the Telegraph
Swiatek served her one-month suspension but Sinner, even though his case was resolved, is waiting for CAS’ decision following intervention by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
Simona Halep takes another dig at WTA Players’ Council
Simona Halep seemingly took a brutal dig at the members of the WTA Players’ Council. On the Instagram story, she shared a post of a fan account that stated how Halep asked for help to get her ranking back but the WTA Players’ Council denied that.
The user then shared a list of names that are in the WTA Players’ Council. The names the fan account mentioned were: Jessica Pegula, Victoria Azarenka, Caroline Garcia, Donna Vekic, Madison Keys, Daria Saville, Gabriela Dabrowski, and Aleksandra Krunic. Without giving any caption, Halep simply shared the post on her Instagram story.
Check it out here:
Simona Halep from her IG story today. Apparently she had asked the WTA/Players council if her ranking points that she lost for the extended ban (more than 9 months) could be reinstated but was denied.
— Pavvy G (@pavyg) December 8, 2024
I understand why she feels injustice and I feel she has a strong case to sue. pic.twitter.com/zgnUxMDItt
After making her comeback, Halep has played just four tournaments and is currently a World No. 877. She last played in the Round of 32 of the Hong Kong Open and lost to Yuan Yue in straight sets.
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Gouri Das
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