Simona Halep admits her career will end as she might be forced to retire after ‘catastrophic’ ruling against her in the doping case

Halep was slapped with a four-year ban after testing positive for doping.

Simona Halep admits her career will end as she might be forced to retire after ‘catastrophic’ ruling against her in the doping case

Simona Halep (Image via NBC Sports)

Romanian tennis star Simona Halep who has been banned for four years by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) over doping, has admitted that her career might come to an end if she fails to prove herself innocent in the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) next February. 

As Halep refused to accept the verdict from ITIA in her doping case, the Romanian appealed in CAS and the institution has agreed to a hearing in February 2024. While Halep is optimistic about proving her innocence, there is a bit of fear in her mind as well.

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Halep fears that if she fails to get her ban evoked or reduced, it will mean the end of her professional tennis career. Simona Halep feels that if she is forced to serve the four-year ban imposed by ITIA, she will probably not return to the tennis court considering the age factor.

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I think so. Yes, because four years is a long time, at my age, at least. And for an athlete who for 25 years did this every day and dedicated his life to tennis and sports, I don't know how it will be, but it's catastrophic. If it's four years, I don't know how I'll manage. It will probably be the end of my career, yes.
Simona Halep said to Euronews.

Simona Halep hopeful of playing at the Paris Olympics

Although the chances are really slim, Simona Halep is hopeful of playing at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The Romanian revealed how the connection with Paris goes a long way back and said that it is her dream to play in the city.

Simona Halep
Simona Halep (Image via X)
Of course, it is my dream. I know the chances are not high, but I'm dreaming, because Paris is my dream city. I won Roland-Garros here as a junior, so it all started very early and it would be great to be back on court, no matter what. All I want is to be on the field because that's where I belong and I feel like I want to do it again.
Simona Halep said about her Olympics chances.

Halep, two-time Grand Slam champion, has a chance to get the ban evoked and return to the tennis court and do what she does best. The Romanian said that she has trust in the process and even if she hadn’t, there was no other way out.

Notably, Halep has been barred from competing at any ITF and WTA event. Also, the Romanian has been out of action ever since her urine samples were found to be positive for Roxadustat, a prohibited substance by the anti-doping body.

While Halep has already served one year of the ban, she still has almost three more years left to serve, and considering she is already 32, it would not make any sense to make a comeback at 35 or 36.

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