Halep’s doping ban drastically shortened

The International Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has reduced Romanian tennis player Simona Halep’s doping ban from four years to nine months. The former world number one can now play again.

Reuters/Denis Balibouse

The 32-year-old had challenged a ban imposed on her by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) for violations of the anti-doping program in tennis and was now partially successful, as the CAS announced on Wednesday. Halep had requested that the verdict be overturned.

Violations according to CAS “not intentional”

The two-time Grand Slam winner gave a positive doping test at the 2022 US Open. The banned substance roxadustat, which was listed on the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) 2022 banned list, was found on her. A second charge related to irregularities in her biological athlete passport.

Halep was originally closed until October 2026. Due to the CAS ruling, the ban expired in July 2023. Although the CAS found a violation of the anti-doping rules, after “careful examination” it followed Halep’s statement that the banned substance “entered her body through the consumption of a contaminated dietary supplement (…)” and therefore did not commit the violations “were intentional.”