“The doping agencies are a joke” – Simona Halep receives sympathy from fans as her fall in ranking continues owing to delay in her hearing and no support from WTA

Authorities' inaction leaves Simona Halep in limbo, unfairly stripping her of valuable opportunities.

“The doping agencies are a joke” – Simona Halep receives sympathy from fans as her fall in ranking continues owing to delay in her hearing and no support from WTA

Simona Halep (Image via Sky News)

Things are not so well for former world number 1 Simona Halep. Halep has been once again denied a fair hearing in her doping case which has resulted in a loss of precious time that is proving to be a setback for her once soaring high career.

The two times grand slam winner was slapped with a doping charge in October 2022 after testing positive for the drug Roxadustat which helps in the creation of red blood cells. The Romanian declined all such allegations and claimed that she had been ‘contaminated’ with the drug. This claim was backed by certain experts, as per the 31-year-old. Eventually, she got suspended till the case could be resolved.

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Then again, in May this year, Halpe was hit with a second charge because of some irregularities with her ‘Athlete Biological Passport’ (ABP). It is a system that is used to monitor the various blood indicators of an athlete over a long period of time. The Romanian, along with her former coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, called such accusations by the bodies as ‘harassment’.

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Since then, her case has been continuously delayed, and she and her team have not been able to present her side in front of a Tribunal. Halep openly criticized the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) and alleged that there is a ‘motivation to prove her guilty despite of her being innocent.’ She has also failed to gain any support from the WTA whatsoever.

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Simona Halep will be out of the Top 50 by next week

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Simona Halep (Image via ESPN)

Ever since the doping charges have come forth, Halep has been suspended from playing any WTA tour game. Her rank was also not frozen and she has been constantly falling down in the WTA Rankings. If this continues, the Romanian will be out of the top 50 by next week. It should be noted that the star player has not been out of the top 30 since June 2013. This is going to rob her of a year from her illustrious career.

The legions of her fans have been behind her, supporting the Romanian in every step of the way. They realize that she has been caught in a web of bureaucratic inefficiency and has extended their support by calling out the ITIA on social media platforms. Here are some of the reactions:

Simona Halep has been denied a fair hearing regarding her doping case and has been unable to play a match despite being injury-free and she eagerly awaits a resolution. The sympathy lies with Halep, who finds herself caught in a system that has failed to provide her with the justice she deserves. She deserves a fair hearing and the chance to reclaim the time that has been unjustly taken away from her.

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