“We have missed you,” Simona Halep’s appeal update reaches Boris Becker, Chris Evert, and Patrick Mouratoglou who show solidarity with the Romanian

The Romanian's wait for a verdict on her ban appeal continues after nearly two weeks since her hearing with the CAS.

“We have missed you,” Simona Halep’s appeal update reaches Boris Becker, Chris Evert, and Patrick Mouratoglou who show solidarity with the Romanian

Boris Becker, Simona Halep, Chris Evert (images via IMAGO)

Former World No. 1 Simona Halep‘s appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) is finally over and she is now awaiting the verdict. After being found guilty by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) of doping, she challenged the decision in hopes of reversing the four-year ban on her.

Halep is currently 32 years old and her ban runs till September 2026. Returning to the Tour at the age of 35, her career will more or less be finished. Making a successful comeback at such an advanced age has been a rare thing.

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She has denied all charges from the day when she was found to have taken Roxadustat, the banned substance by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

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The Romanian’s trial with the CAS was held behind closed doors for over three days. It started on the 7th of February with the final hearing on the 9th of February in Laussane, Switzerland. She was not allowed to make any comment over the three days. She however released a statement yesterday, on 21st February.

She thanked her fans and supporters and all those who stood by her during these proceedings which began in September 2022. She pledged her innocence once again and left her fate in the hands of CAS believing they will see justice prevail.

Her post was well-met by many of her fans. Even former players and legends of the game commented on her post. This included Boris Becker, Chris Evert, and her former coach Darren Cahill. 

Fingers crossed Simo !!! You deserve the good result and hopefully come back to play more tennis …we have missed you !
Wrote Becker.
Good luck, Simona... We are all pulling for you!
Commented Evert.

Halep’s ex-coach Patrick Mouratoglou who later took responsibility for the former World No. 1’s case also liked the post.

Will Simona Halep be compensated if she wins her appeal?

As the tennis world awaits the verdict in Halep’s case, one question has been raised by many. How will the player be compensated after being wrongfully dragged into the doping charges while being innocent?

Patrick Mouratoglou and Simona Halep
Simona Halep and Patrick Mouratoglou (Via Imago)

While it is unlikely that either WTA or ITF will be able to give any compensation, the biggest output will be her name and her reputation won’t be tainted. She will also return to the Tour immediately and try to make up for the time lost.

Since her Grand Slam debut, she has missed two majors on the trot only once during the 2021 season. But since her 2022 US Open exit, she has missed all of the five Grand Slam events that have been played. 

In terms of the monetary loss, she has already sued the supplement makers for not adding the correct label and has demanded $10 million in damages. She has filed the case in New York, dragging the Canadian company into the lawsuit. How that case turns out will be a separate episode altogether. 

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