Simona Halep, message after the CAS hearings: “The nightmare is over”

By Romania Journal Last updated Feb 21, 2024

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Simona Halep is awaiting the verdict of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), after being heard for three days in Lausanne, and the former WTA leader posted a message in which she spoke about the “nightmare” she lived for a year and a half due to the doping scandal.

The double Grand Slam winner thanked everyone for their support and said she was confident that she was able to prove her innocence in front of the CAS judges.

“The nightmare that I lived through for a year and a half has finished. I had the chance to present my defence in front of TAS to show that I never did any kind of doping. This is what I have said from the first day I was accused. Now I am waiting for the decision with my head held high and I wanted to thank you, my fans, players and former players, legends of this sport, my sponsors and everyone else for your amazing support, all the messages and videos you did for me during this harrowing time that I had.

Thank you for your unconditional trust. This support has meant the world to me and gave me strength to keep fighting each day to show the truth! I will share the news about my case with you all as soon as I receive it. I wish you all the best. Good and truth always prevail,” said Simona Halep on Instagram.

Simona Halep’s doping case was heard by Sport Resolutions, the independent tribunal in London that handles doping cases in white sport. Halep was suspended for 4 years for two separate violations of the Tennis Anti-Doping Program (TADP): the presence and use of the substance roxadustat in the urine sample collected following an anti-doping test performed at the 2022 US Open (1) and the irregularities in her biological passport (2 ).

Simona resorted to her only recourse: the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne. Halep was heard at the CAS between February 7-9, 2024. The Swiss court stated that the former WTA leader requested that the decision of the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) be annulled and her sanction “be reduced”.

If the 4-year suspension is upheld, then the former WTA leader could theoretically return to the tennis court on October 6, 2026. At that time, Halep would be 35 years old.

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