Two-time grand slam champion Simona Halep has been given a four-year ban for anti-doping rule violations, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) announced on Tuesday.
Halep, who has previously denied wrongdoing, responded to the announcement by saying she will appeal and has “never knowingly or intentionally used any prohibited substance.” She added: “I am continuing to train and do everything in my power to clear my name of these false allegations and return to the court.”
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The former world No. 1, who won the French Open in 2018 and Wimbledon in 2019, was charged with two separate breaches of the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme. The first, the ITIA said, related to Halep testing positive for banned substance roxadustat – which is listed on the 2022 World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Prohibited List – at the US Open last year.
The second charge was for irregularities in Halep’s Athlete Biological Passport (ABP), which is designed to monitor an athlete’s selected biological variables over time.