SIMONA HALEP has been provisionally suspended from professional tennis following a positive drugs test.
The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) announced on Friday that banned substance Roxadustat had been discovered in a doping sample provided by the Romanian at the 2022 US Open in August.
The 2019 Wimbledon champion was defeated 6-2 0-6 6-4 by Ukrainian qualifier Daria Snigur in the first round in New York.
The world No.9 was informed by the ITIA of the Anti-Doping Rule Violation on Friday October 7 – “presence of a prohibited substance in a player’s sample” – and SunSport understands she did not have a therapeutic use exemption (TUE) certificate when approached.
The B sample was analysed at the player’s request and according to the ITIA “confirmed the finding in the A sample”.
The ITIA say that “while provisionally suspended, the player is ineligible to compete in or attend any sanctioned tennis events organised by the governing bodies of the sport”.
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Roxadustat – which is on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s prohibited list – is a relatively new drug that is used to treat renal anemia and promotes the production of EPO.
This is the most high-profile drugs bust in top-level tennis since Maria Sharapova was banned from the sport for 15 months for testing positive for meldonium.
The Russian, who won Wimbledon as a 17-year-old, made a return to the tramlines in April 2017 but never shook off the stigma of the suspension.
Halep will be expected to present her case in front of an independent panel and she said in a Twitter statement: “Today begins the hardest match of my life. A fight for the truth.
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“I have been notified that I have tested positive for a substance called Roxadustat in an extremely low quantity, which came as the biggest shock of my life.
“Throughout my whole career, the idea of cheating never even crossed my mind once, as it is totally against all the values I have been educated with.
“Facing such an unfair situation, I felt completely confused and betrayed.
“I will fight until the end to prove that I never knowingly took any prohibited substance and I have faith that sooner or later, the truth will come out.
“It’s not about the titles or the money. It’s about honour and the love story I have developed with the game of tennis over the last 25 years.”
Halep, who is coached by Frenchman Patrick Mouratoglou, beat Serena Williams 6-2 6-2 to lift the Wimbledon title three years ago.
She also won the French Open in 2018 when she was a 3-6 6-4 6-1 winner over American Sloane Stephens in the Paris final.
The former world No.1 – who considered quitting the sport in February due to poor form and fitness – ended her season early in September as she underwent nose surgery.
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