"Today begins the hardest match of my life, a fight for the truth": Former World No.1 Simona Halep denies knowingly taking banned substance Roxadustat after positive test announced

Simona Halep has released a statement following the breaking news of her suspension from tennis due to doping.

The Romanian player was provisionally suspended by the ITIA due to her positive test on a banned substance. Halep was notified of the positive test on October 7th and she knew this news was going to come and her statement came shortly after the news as well.

The carefully worded statement says:

"Today begins the hardest match of my life: a fight for the truth. I have been notified that I have tested positive for a substance called Roxadustat in an extremely low quantity, which came as the biggest shock of my life.

Throughout my whole career, the idea of cheating never even crossed my mind once, as it is totally against all the values I have been educated with. Facing such an unfair situation, I feel completely confused and betrayed.

I will fight until the end to prove that I never knowingly took any prohibited substance and I have faith that sooner or later, the truth will come out.

It's not about the titles or the money. It's about honour, and the love story I have developed with the game of tennis over the last 25 years."