Former #1 Ranked Simona Halep Suspended After Failed U.S. Open Drug Test

Former world No. 1 Simona Halep has been provisionally suspended by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) after testing positive for a banned substance at this year’s US Open.

Halep tested positive for Roxadustat, an anti-anemia medication that is banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency. Halep is prohibited from playing in any WTA events and could face a lengthy suspension.

Halep, now ranked No. 9 in the world, is the biggest name in the sport to face such consequences since Maria Sharapova was suspended two years in 2016 for a positive doping test. Sharapova’s ban was appealed and ultimately reduced to 15 months.

Halep said on Instagram that she plans to fight the suspension.

“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,” Halep wrote.

“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.”

Halep rose to No. 1 in the world in 2017 and backed up that ranking with Grand Slam triumphs at the 2018 French Open and 2019 Wimbledon, which she captured with a near-flawless 6-2, 6-2 victory over Serena Williams in the final.

She was having a successful 2022 summer season, reaching the Wimbledon semifinals and winning the National Bank Open in Toronto in August.

The ITIA said that Halep requested her B sample to be analyzed and it confirmed the findings in the initial test.

“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,” Halep wrote. “It’s not about the titles or the money. It’s about honor, and the love story I have developed with the game of tennis over the last 25 years.”

The 31-year-old Romanian was upset in the first round of the US Open by qualifier Daria Snigur. She underwent nose surgery after the US Open and announced she would be out the rest of the season.