Simona Halep officially criticizes the delay in her case. Credit: Reuters/Toby Melville
Former World No. 1 and 2019 Wimbledon Champion Simona Halep was charged with a second doping charge Friday night, in addition to the one that has hung over her since October. an anomaly in Halep's biological passport, a database that is used to track key markers in athletes' blood samples.
In fact, Halep is the first tennis player to be charged with an offense under the rules of the biological passport — which are simply require a significant change in blood parameters, and not the detection of a specific substance.
According to the ITIA, this new charge is “separate and in addition to the existing Roxadustat charge of August 2022 that triggered Ms. Halep’s initial suspension.”
In response, Halep accused ITIA of “harassment.” in a passionate statement. “Since October 7, when ITIA filed a doping charge against me, I have experienced the worst nightmare of my life,” she wrote.
“Not only has my name been tarnished in the most horrible way, but I am facing a constant demand from the ITIA for a reason I cannot understand to prove my guilt, while I have NEVER even thought of taking any forbidden substance… I feel helpless in the face of such persecution and motivation on their behalf to prove my guilt in something I never did.”
This is a devastating turn of events for Halep, a 31-year-old Romanian, especially after a month later, she was interviewed by the Tennis Majors website, complaining that her court hearing was constantly delayed.
In the same interview, she said she prepared a contamination defense explaining how Roxadustat — an anemia drug that works the same way as a dishonest cyclist's favorite chemical EPO — showed up in her urine sample from last year's US Open.
Halep was passionately defended by her tennis partners, with her former coach Darren Cahill insisting that «one thing I know for sure is that Simone is not to blame.»
A tough and determined base player, Halep spent 64 weeks at the top of the world rankings and also won two major tournaments during the golden period that began after the 2018 Australian Open.
Halep won Wimbledon 2019 during a golden period for Romanians. Photo: PA/Steven Preston
More recently, however, her form has taken a turn for the worse with a calf injury that severely cut short her 2021 season. She showed signs of a renaissance last summer, especially as she reached the Wimbledon semi-finals, and seemed to be encouraged by a new collaboration with former Serena Williams coach Patrick Mouratoglou.
In her statement, Halep stood her ground. that «three world-renowned experts who examined my blood tests stated quite clearly that my blood is perfectly normal.» She also announced that her long-awaited independent hearing was scheduled for the end of May.
The ITIA statement quotes Nicole Sapstead, Senior Director of Anti-Doping, addressing some of Halep's complaints about the pace of the process. In retrospect, it now seems plausible that the delays in Halep's trial may have been related to this second allegation.
«We understand that today's announcement complicates an already high-profile situation,» Sapstead said. “From the very beginning of this process – and indeed every other process at ITIA – we have remained committed to engaging with Ms. Halep in a sensitive, efficient and timely manner.
“Of course we do, I admit that these cases are of great interest from the media. It would be inappropriate for us to comment on details until the process is complete, but we will continue to engage with the independent tribunal Sport Resolutions and Ms Halep's representatives as quickly as possible.”
Telegraph Sport analysis Halep' The constant absence from the tour is consistent with the instability of women's tennis< p>Simon Briggs
Simona Halep's chances of getting back on the court as soon as possible have certainly been reduced by the latest news, which represents a new twist in the sport.
No tennis player has previously been charged based on their ABP (Athlete Biological Passport). The system was introduced as a way to capture significant changes in metabolism or other physical functions without requiring the detection of a particular substance. It was designed to protect against cutting-edge doping resources such as peptides.
Halep has already insisted she has an answer to Roxadustat's previous accusation, telling the Tennis Majors website: «I've never heard of it like that, I didn't know how I could accept it, and in fact how it could be in my urine. After a lot of work, they [experts she hired to help her with her defense] found out that there was a contamination, a contamination with food additives, and therefore their numbers were so, so low in my body.
< p>Meanwhile, in the larger picture of women's tennis, Halep's constant absence from the tour fits into the fluidity of the overall narrative. There have been 12 different WTA #1 rankings since 2010, 10 of which are aged 36 or under. However, only three — the current Iga Swiatek, Victoria Azarenka and Karolina Pliskova — actively participate in the tour for one reason or another.
Usually motherhood is part of the explanation. Eight members of the aforementioned group are either mothers or will soon become mothers. But in the case of 2017 Wimbledon champion Garbine Muguruza, who withdrew from the tour in January after suffering her sixth straight loss, it was more like burnout.
Contrast with the ATP Tour, where Rafael Nadal recently announced his intention to continue fighting at 39 despite numerous injury problems is hard to avoid. But then, as Wimbledon finalist Once Jaber told Netflix last year, “Women have to sacrifice a lot. If you want to have a child, you must sacrifice something that you love.”
Свежие комментарии