Simona
Halep responded in an interview expressing her disappointment at not receiving
a response from the anti-doping tribunal following a doping charge at the 2022
US Open.
The former
world No. 1 continues to face uncertainty regarding the decision that will be
made in her doping case. Halep has repeatedly denied the charges and has stated
that she submitted her evidence to the anti-doping tribunal. However, a year
later, she still awaits a resolution.
The
Romanian player faces the possibility of being suspended from the WTA tour for
up to three years. This week marks one year since her last participation, which
was at the 2022 US Open, where she surprisingly lost in the first round to
Ukrainian player Daria Snigur.
In an
interview with Eurosport Romania, she discussed the disappointment she has
experienced due to the lack of a response from the tribunal.
“I received
word from my lawyer that I won’t have a decision until the end of August. I am
very disappointed by this,” said the 2-time Grand Slam champion.
“It’s
almost impossible to wait so long for a decision, but as I said, I don’t have
much to do and I’ll have to wait.”
“It was
quite a difficult case. There, at the hearings, my team was extraordinary
together with all the experts we had. The lawyers also included Bogdan Stoica,
the lawyer from Romania, together with Howard (Jacobs) from America. They were
strong and my defense was very good. The truth, it’s always easier when you
tell the truth and I felt that everything was going to be fine.
“I expected
to receive the decision much faster. As far as I know in the regulation, it is
three weeks. It’s already been two months and I have received absolutely no
news about the decision. I trained hard, I also posted on social media because
I wanted to share this with my fans, that I am motivated and that I want to get
back on the field as soon as possible.”
The
Romanian tennis player appeared on the entry list for the US Open a few weeks
ago, but the organizers later confirmed that her participation depended on
receiving a positive response before the start of the tournament.
Unfortunately, that response did not come, leaving Halep to continue waiting
for her return to the courts.