“In Halep’s mind she didn’t cheat and I believe that,” Andy Roddick and Kim Clijsters warrant Simona Halep’s innocence days after the Romanian is relieved of a long suspension

Reacting to Wozniacki's remarks, former American tennis star Andy Roddick said he disagreed because here it's about Halep, who is not a cheater.

“In Halep’s mind she didn’t cheat and I believe that,” Andy Roddick and Kim Clijsters warrant Simona Halep’s innocence days after the Romanian is relieved of a long suspension

Andy Roddick, Simona Halep, Caroline Wozniacki, Kim Clijsters (Via IMAGO, X)

Simona Halep received a wild card to enter the 2024 Miami Opens but couldn’t go past the first round. Spain’s Paula Badosa defeated her in three sets 1-6, 6-4, 6-4.

Halep’s match against Badosa was her first match since the doping ban. She tested positive for consuming a banned substance, roxadustat. And as Halep became a wildcard entrant in the Miami Open, Caroline Wozniacki criticized her.

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She said if someone “purposely cheats” or tests positive for doping, then that player shouldn’t be getting a wild card. Wozniacki added that one’s goal should be to work toward getting a chance to play in the competition after the ban instead of the wild cards.

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Reacting to Wozniacki’s remarks, former American tennis star Andy Roddick said he disagreed because here it’s about Halep, who is not a cheater. Kim Clijsters was on the podcast, and she agreed with the American.

When someone tests positive for taking something to become a better athlete, then I agree with Caroline percent. Halep’s situation is completely different. She tested positive unknowingly.
Clijsters said on the Served with Andy Roddick podcast

She recalled Halep’s stance on doping. Back in 2016, Maria Sharapova was banned after she failed a drug test. When she also got the wild card, Halep slammed the decision to hand Sharapova an entry through the wild card. Clijsters, meanwhile, shared her opinion on the matter.

Her saying something about Maria in the past shows her vision of how she looks at doping and that she’s not a cheater. In [Halep’s] mind, she didn’t cheat, and I do believe that.
Clijsters added

What happened when Maria Sharapova received a wild card after doping ban?

Maria Sharapova tested positive for a banned substance called meldonium in 2016 and was handed a 15-month suspension. But she was awarded a wild card in the Porche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart.

Simona Halep
Simona Halep, Maria Sharapova (Via X, IMAGO)

Many called her out for getting the wild card, including Simona Halep. Halep said it’s not right that a player banned for doping should get a wild card.

For kids, for young players, it is not OK to help a wild card player who was banned for doping.
Simona Halep said at the time

And about Halep’s doping controversy, she stated that she unknowingly consumed the substance. The ITIA initially banned them from playing competitive tennis for four years but she appealed to them to reduce it. The ITIA finally then handed her a nine-month ban.

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