Simona Halep provisionally suspended after testing positive for banned substance at US Open
On social media, the former No. 1 maintained her innocence and said she "never knowingly took any prohibited substance and...the truth will come out."
Simona Halep has been provisionally suspended by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) after testing positive for the banned substance Roxadustat at the US Open in August.
The Romanian was notified with a pre-charge notice two weeks ago, on October 7. Halep, who ended her season after undergoing nose surgery following the US Open, is "ineligible to compete in or attend any sanctioned tennis events organized by the governing bodies of the sport."
Halep lost in the first round at Flushing Meadows to 124th-ranked Daria Snigur, 6-2, 0-6, 6-4.
Halep, currently ranked ninth in the world and a two-time Grand Slam champion, maintained her innocence on social media, saying that "today begins the hardest match of my life: a fight for the truth."
Her statement also revealed that her two sample tests showed Roxadustat "in an extremely low quantity" and that she "never knowingly took any prohibited substance."
The news recalls a similarly shocking suspension in 2016, when Maria Sharapova was banned for two years—later reduced to 15 months—for using the substance Meldonium.
In 2022, Halep played Wimbledon for the first time since winning the tournament in 2019, and reached the semifinals. In August, she won the National Bank Open in Toronto.
On her Instagram Story, compatriot Sorana Cirstea showed her support for Halep, whom she believes "would never willingly and in good faith touch any doping substance."
This is a breaking news story and we will continue to update this article.