“Harrasment going way past limits” Patrick Mouratoglou stands with Simona Halep as he labels ITIA action as ‘harrasment’

Patrick Mouratoglou extends his support to Simona Halep, who is facing a second anti-doping charge from the ITIA.

“Harrasment going way past limits” Patrick Mouratoglou stands with Simona Halep as he labels ITIA action as ‘harrasment’

Simona Halep and Patrick Mouratoglou( Credits: Yahoo Sport Australia and News in France)

Patrick Mouratoglou expressed his strong disagreement with the decision of the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) for placing a second anti-doping charge on Simona Halep. The Romanian player has been facing a temporary suspension since her positive doping test in October, last year. The former World No.1 has called the second charge a ‘visible harassment’ case.

The 31-year-old has been absent from the tennis court since her last appearance at the 2022 US Open. Halep’s tennis career was halted after she tested positive for the Roxadustat drug, which is proven to increase red blood cells in the body. As she was already dealing with her partial suspension, the Romanian was hit with another charge from the ITIA.

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The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) made claims on Thursday, that Halep’s athlete biological passport (ABP) has been detected with some irregularities after the assessment from the independent expert panel. Such monitorings with the ABP are done to detect any irregularities over a period of time. If found with suspicious pattern change, then the athlete could be tried for violations of the rules and regulations.

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The two-times Wimbledon champion has earlier called out the anti-doping bodies for constantly delaying the proceedings of the case. Halep stated that she is eager to prove her innocence and clear her name with the false allegations. After the new charges were imposed on her, the Romanian player couldn’t hide her disbelief and accused ITIA of ‘harassment’.

“Since October 7, when I got charged by the ITIA for a suspicion of doping, I have lived the worst nightmare I have ever gone through in my life. Not only has my name been soiled in the worst possible way, but I am facing a constant determination from the ITIA for a reason that I cannot understand, to prove my guilt while I haven’t ever even thought of taking any illicit substance. I tried two times to have the opportunity to be judged by an Independent Tribunal and the ITIA has constantly found reasons to postpone,” she said through her official Instagram account.

“The only thing I hope for, at this point, is to have the possibility to finally access the independent and impartial judges in a tribunal, that will give me the chance to prove my innocence. I have full trust in justice and I look forward to finally being able to present my case at my hearing that is schedule at the end of May, after several delays by the ITIA,” Halep said.

Patrick Mouratoglou, the coach of Halep, extended his positive support to his player. He commented that the ongoing persecution is not tolerable.

“This harassment is going way past the limits of the acceptable,”, he said on her Instagram post.

Mouratoglou started coaching the Halep in 2022. He is also the former coach of the American player, Serena Williams.

Also read: Simona Halep cannot play victim card as her doping mystery deepens

Patrick Mouratoglou is all praise for the Carlos Alcaraz, ahead of the Roland Garros

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Image Credits: The Bridge and The Independent respectively

With the French Open starting on Monday, all the players are gearing up to be in ‘good shape’ and deliver their ‘best tennis’ in Paris. While looking at the qualities of the potential contenders in the ATP, Mourataglou complimented the 20-year-old by citing him as an ‘all-court’ player. He also added that Carlos Alcaraz‘s ‘game’ does have an extra edge on the clay surface.

“I think he’s an all-court player from the start. He’s good on hard as on clay, maybe I would give him a little more advantage on clay than hard because he has some weapons that are deadly on clay. The drop shot, and he’s a master in drop shots. His kick serve which is one of the best, if not the best, on tour. And his forehand. And of course, he’s an incredible mover. When you put all of this together, I think it gives him even an extra edge on clay compared to hard court,” he said on Instagram.

The French coach also commented on the question of Rafael Nadal‘s possibility of winning his 15th Roland Garros title. He said that Nadal definitely has chances to win but the competition will be an intense one (He made the statement before the news of Rafael Nadal’s withdrawal from the French Open).

“I think this Roland-Garros will be incredibly exciting because if you look at the past, there was not much suspense. We knew more or less that Rafa would win. I am not saying that he is not going to win this year, he can still win. But he is getting older, and it’s more and more difficult. He is more and more injured. His preparation is never as good as what he wishes. It was the same last year, and he still managed to win. He had so much margin and his margin is less and less,” Mouratoglou said on Instagram.

Mouratoglou recently ended his partnership with Holger Rune after coaching him for six months, since 2022.

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