Simona Halep: “I fear I may never play again”

12/16/2023 at 17:15 CET

Simona Halep has broken her silence. The Romanian tennis player, 31 years old and banned for four years for testing positive at the 2022 US Open for the banned substance roxadustat, fears that she will never be able to play again.

“It’s painful because I know I didn’t do anything wrong, I’m clean. I’ve always been against doping. Emotionally it’s very hard”, he said in an interview on ‘Euronews’. Carrying out a regular urine analysis during the competition has cost him a harsh punishment by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA), which also noted that his Athlete Biological Passport (ABP) had various irregularities.

The former world number one and two-time winner of Grand Slam tournaments, provisionally suspended from October 2022 and then permanently, will be until October 6, 2026. She hopes that the resources prosper, if not, she could say goodbye to the racket.

“It will probably be the end of my career,” Halep confesses if the CAS does not modify the sanction. At least he hopes to be able to be at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. “I know there are not many possibilities, but Paris is my dream city. I won the junior, that’s where it all started, and it would be incredible to return to Roland Garros. Although what I want is to return to a track, whatever it may be,” he said.

2023-12-16 16:15:25
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