"Did she do it fair and square?": Is Simona Halep Hall of Fame worthy as debate stirred after retirement
WTA
Simona Halep retired from the sport yesterday after her loss at the Transylvania Open and while it stirred feelings of joy at the career of the former World No.1 and third all time in terms of prize money won, the attention now turns to the Hall of Fame.
In particular with the fact that she served a suspension for doping and while it was reduced and she still maintains her innocence, it was a bone of contention when those on Tennis Channel were discussing it last night.
Nick Monroe and Jimmy Arias were on the desk and said that while she has had a great career, it was one that would be tough to vote for in terms of the Hall of Fame due to the doping.
Maria Sharapova only gets onto the ballot this year after her own travails and as her career winds down the question is, was Halep as innocent as she said she was?
"I've always enjoyed watching Simona Halep play just her grit, her determination, her fight, her counter punching skills. She left no stone unturned when it came to a tennis match but when it comes to the doping and having that over her head, it's tough for me to want to vote for her," said Monroe.
"You don't know how many of those wins were when she might have been under something that was performance enhancing. So for the other players on tour, that's what they were more worried about. I love how she played but I wouldn't be able to vote her in."
"There's always an asterisk next to her name. You're always going to think about it. The results are there, the titles are there, the $40m in prize money. There's that question mark: did she do it fair and square? We kind of don't know that answer," said Arias.
Simona Halep retires - is the Hall of Fame next?#TCLive on how to measure her legacy ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/4gniyUrzck
— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) February 5, 2025
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