Former World No. 1 Simona Halep has been given the green light to make her tennis comeback after her four-year suspension was reduced to nine months. This decision follows her recent appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
Halep, a two-time Grand Slam champion, was provisionally suspended on Oct. 7, 2022, after testing positive for the banned substance roxadustat during the 2022 US Open. She strongly denied intentionally taking the substance and attributed it to a contaminated nutritional supplement. Additionally, irregular findings in her Athlete Biological Passport led to further doping rule violations.
The Independent Tribunal found Halep guilty of anti-doping violations on Sept. 22, 2023, imposing a four-year ban. However, after appealing to CAS, a hearing was held in Lausanne, Switzerland, resulting in the Tribunal’s decision being set aside. CAS ruled that Halep bore “no significant fault or negligence” for the positive test and that she had shown the supplement was contaminated. Regarding the passport charge, CAS dismissed it, stating it wasn’t convincingly proven.
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The CAS statement explained that Halep had consumed a contaminated supplement before August 29, 2022, leading to the presence of roxadustat in her sample. While fault was acknowledged for not exercising enough caution with the supplement, CAS concluded it wasn’t significant.
The WTA has expressed its support for CAS’s decision, emphasizing its commitment to a clean and fair sport. Halep’s return marks the end of her absence from competition since her first-round exit at the 2022 US Open.