Wimbledon’s 2019 champion Simona Halep fails a drugs test
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Wimbledon’s 2019 champion Simona Halep fails drug test for blood booster Roxadustat – but former world No. 1 says she feels ‘betrayed’ and will fight ’till the end’ to clear her name
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Simona Halep has been provisionally suspended after testing positive for a banned substance at this year’s US Open.
The sample of the Romanian number nine in the world turned out to contain the blood booster Roxadustat. She denied the wrongdoing in a post on social media.
Halep, a former Wimbledon champion, was defeated in the first round of the tournament in New York City by Daria Snigur of Ukraine.
The 31-year-old two-time Grand Slam champion is not eligible to participate pending the analysis of her ‘B’ sample.
The great news was announced Friday by the International Tennis Integrity Agency, which oversees anti-doping and other integrity issues for the sport.
In a statement, Halep said the banned substance was found in “extremely low amounts” and described the finding as the “biggest shock of my life.”
Simona Halep tested positive for a banned substance and is provisionally suspended
“Today begins the hardest contest of my life: a fight for the truth,” Halep wrote on social media.
‘I was informed that I tested positive for a substance called Roxadustat in an extremely low amount, which was the biggest shock of my life.
“Throughout my career, the idea of cheating has never crossed my mind because it totally contradicts all the values I was raised with. Faced with such an unfair situation, I feel completely confused and betrayed.
“I will fight to the end to prove that I have never knowingly used a banned substance and I am confident that sooner or later the truth will come out.
“It’s not about titles or money. It’s about honor, and the love story I’ve developed with the game of tennis over the past 25 years.”
More to follow