“A victim of contamination” – Simona Halep cries ‘Foul Play’ as additional doping charges issued against her

Halep had pleaded ignorance for the substance Roxadustat in 2022, saying she was unaware of how the substance got into her bloodstream.

“A victim of contamination” – Simona Halep cries ‘Foul Play’ as additional doping charges issued against her

Simona Halep (Image Credit: TennisMajors)

Things have gone from bad to worse if it was possible for Simona Halep. On 19th May she got an additional Anti-doping charge slapped on her as confirmed by the International Tennis Integration Agency (ITIA). In response to the charges, the Romanian issued a statement on social media. In an emotional statement, she said, “I have lived the worst nightmare.”

The 31-year-old has been on provision suspension since October 2022 on the charge of having the banned substance Roxadustat in her blood. In the end of April, Simona Halep had given an interview in which she said that the International Tennis Federation (ITF) made unfair delays and hearing cancelations in her doping case. Now finally her case was further made worse when her Athlete Biological Passport (ABP) was assessed by experts. There is an additional charge that has been levied on the one-time Wimbledon and French Open title winner.

YouTube video

Simona Halep, in her strong statement, stated that there is a deep-rooted foul play in her case. She said that she had separately got her blood analyzed by experts who had given a normal report. “Now that we have clearly established that I have been victim of a contamination, they (ITIA) came up with a so-called not normal evaluation of my blood,” said the ex-WTA rank 1.

FS Video

Halep feels that her case is an outright case of harassment. Earlier there were delays in the hearing and now, just before her scheduled hearing in May, she has been slapped with additional charges. She said she feels completely powerless in this situation. Halep said, “I feel helpless facing such harassment.” She suspects there is some ulterior motive of ITIA to prove her guilty in one way or the other.

Related: Simona Halep in deep trouble after second doping offence amid suspension

Simona Halep feels this is Justice gone Wrong

Simona Halep
Image Credit: Instagram Simona Halep

Simona Halep has mentioned time and again that she is against cheating of any sort and which is why she pleaded innocence when she was first slapped with the doping charges. She pleaded ignorance for the substance Roxadustat in 2022, saying she was unaware of how the substance got into her bloodstream. Halep claimed she never knowingly consumed the substance. Now again with the additional charge, she said that “It (cheating) doesn’t align with my values“.

Halep feels justice is not by her side and she hopes she could get impartial judges to help her case. “The only thing I hope is to have the possibility of finally access independent and impartial judges in a tribunal.” She also declared despite the foul play, she still has some faith left in the justice system. “I have full trust in justice and I look forward to finally being able to present my case,” said the Romanian.

Her coach Patrick Mouratoglou and good friend Ashleigh Barty have spoken out in Simona’s support. They are a strong force standing beside the Romanian champion and hope she will be playing professionally soon.

In case you missed it: