Ashleigh Barty, Kim Clijsters among others offered support during doping ordeal says Simona Halep

Simona Halep shared her feelings upon returning to tennis after her doping ban and revealed that several current and former players expressed their support for her during her time away from the WTA Tour. The former world No. 1 tested positive for roxadustat at the 2022 US Open and was immediately suspended. Later, the International Tennis Integrity Authority determined that the ban would be for four years until October 2026.

The 2-times Grand Slam champion defended her innocence since the ban was imposed, and after the appeal process before the Court of Arbitration for Sport, it was determined in March 2024 that the doping was not intentional and was due to contamination of a supplement that Halep was using.

Quickly, the Romanian received a wild card for the Miami Open, where she had a good showing against Paula Badosa but ended up falling 6-1, 4-6, 3-6: 'I’m very nervous,' she told The Associated Press in an interview.

“I felt like I don’t know what to expect from people (in Miami). How it’s going to be – to be in the locker room again. Players’ dining (area). All this routine that I didn’t do for almost two years, it looked new for me.

“And when I arrived on-site, the love that I received from the people that are working for the tournament, the security, and all the people around, and also the players, helped me to just forget everything. And it felt like I never (was) away.

“So it was a great feeling, a great energy, and I was really happy deep down that I am, again, part of tennis and part of this sport that I love. So for me, it was a great experience, much better than I expected. And this made me feel that, OK, now I want to go back and do my best and see how good I can be, still.”

According to AP, Halep confirmed that the list of players offering support includes Chris Evert, Kim Clijsters, Ashleigh Barty, Angelique Kerber, Petra Kvitova, and Carla Suarez Navarro. The Romanian also commented on how challenging the time during her suspension was: 'It’s been a tough period. … It was difficult to manage, but now it’s a different story,' Halep said. 'And I feel relief, I feel the freedom and yeah, I am back in business.'

“What I went through is not easy. So I cannot forget, like this just because I got cleared. There is baggage that probably will stay longer, and I cannot forget, like, one day (to the next) what happened. So I have to handle it better. I have to control my emotions coming back. So there is a (lot) that is not easy. But the joy, I hope, will help me,” Simona Halep added.