SIMONA HALEP has received an additional anti-doping charge from drug busters.
The 2019 Wimbledon champion has been provisionally suspended from professional tennis since October 2022 following a positive drugs test.
Simona Halep has received an additional anti-doping charge
In the biggest tennis doping controversy since the Maria Sharapova meldonium saga, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) discovered banned substance Roxadustat in a sample that Halep provided at last year’s US Open.
The ITIA has tonight announced that the Romanian has been charged with a further and separate breach of the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme.
This is in relation to alleged irregularities in her Athlete Biological Passport, which is used to monitor blood parameters over time and identify potential Anti-Doping Rule Violations.
Nicole Sapstead, Senior Director for Anti-Doping at the ITIA, said: “We understand that today’s announcement adds complexity to an already high-profile situation.
“From the outset of this process – and indeed any other at the ITIA – we have remained committed to engaging with Halep in an empathetic, efficient, and timely manner.
“We do, of course, appreciate there is a great deal of media interest in these cases. It would be inappropriate for us to comment on specifics until the conclusion of the process.
“But we will continue to engage with the Sport Resolutions independent tribunal and Ms. Halep’s representatives as expeditiously as possible.”
Halep professed her innocence last month, saying: “Knowingly, I have not taken any banned substance. I’m a big supporter of clean sports and have always been against doping.”
Speaking to a website that was co-founded by her coach Patrick Mouratoglou, Halep said she was unhappy to still be waiting for her doping case to be heard.
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The 31-year-old is a two-time Grand Slam champion and former world No.1.
She claimed her maiden major at the 2018 French Open, triumphing over American Sloane Stephens in a dramatic three-sets final.
Halep then won Wimbledon the following year, demolishing Serena Williams 6-2 6-2 on Centre Court.
Halep, 31, won Wimbledon in 2019
