Two-time Grand Slam champion Simona Halep was provisionally banned by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) after failing a doping test during the US Open in August. The ITIA on Friday announced the punishment against the former number one player. Halep, currently ranked ninth on the WTA rankings, won Wimbledon in 2019 and the French Open in 2018. Halep called the news of a doping positive on social media as the biggest setback of her life.
She also said, “In a situation like this I feel completely confused that I have been cheated. She said, “I will fight till then to prove that I have never intentionally taken a banned substance. And I am sure that today or tomorrow the truth will come in front of everyone. The 31-year-old from Romania announced in September that she would not play for the rest of the season due to nose surgery and would take rest. The ITIA said Halep tested positive for the banned substance Roxadustat, which is used to treat kidney disease. Under the World Anti-Doping Code, Halep could face a four-year ban for testing positive for a substance such as ‘roxadustat’. Halep wrote, “Today begins the toughest match of my life to fight for the truth.
