"It was a disaster to live that": Simona Halep says discovering positive test was 'like a truck hit you'
WTA
Simona Halep has spoken in some variety about her doping ban and time away from the sport after testing positive for the substance Roxudustat despite still protesting her innocence throughout her ordeal. She had a four year ban reduced to nine months through CAS (Court of Arbitration for Sport) and resumed her career in March at the Miami Open.
Halep is set to have a tell all interview released in the coming weeks with Jon Wertheim of Tennis Channel and described for the first time the vivid memory of discovering the positive test. She said it was like a 'truck hit you' and that it was a true 'disaster' to live that emotion. She had long been an advocate for clean sport and shocked the tennis world by testing positive twice. The second due to irregularities in her Athlete Biological Passport (ABP).
A process not helped either by long waits to make a decision on her potential ban or appeal which saw Halep discredit the ITIA on a multitude of occasions and seeing them as attempting to stall her career on purpose. Since returning, she has also had the storm of Caroline Wozniacki criticising her wildcards after Halep previously berated the powers that be for allowing Maria Sharapova a route back into the sport.
In addition, she has battled injuries that have prevented her from playing. So far from plain sailing, but the same can be said for back when she found out.
“Oh, like a truck hit you,” she said in a soon to be aired sit down interview with Jon Wertheim for Tennis Channel. “And when I received the email, it was like, ‘It's a mistake. It cannot be true, this one.’ Yeah, it was a really big pain when this happened, and I never thought that I can live something like this.”
“It was really, really difficult,” Halep said. “Firstly because I didn't know how it happened. And then when I discovered the contaminated supplement, it was a little bit better because you know what happened at least. But yeah, still, it was a disaster to live that emotion.”
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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