Simona Halep gets real on feeling ‘like a truck hit me’ after failed doping test

Simona Halep reveals she felt like “being hit by a truck” when she was informed about failing a doping test as the former world No. 1 thought it was some kind of a big mistake. 

After shockingly losing in the 2022 US Open first round, Halep announced she was undergoing nose surgery and also shutting down her 2022 season, with the hopes of returning at the start of 2023. 

But then in 2022 October, the tennis community was left absolutely shocked after the ITIA announced a provisional ban for Halep over testing positive for anti-anaemia drug Roxadustat. For the next year and a half, two-time Grand Slam champion Halep battled to clear her name and she finally succeeded in March, after the CAS reduced her doping ban from four years to nine months and she was allowed to instantly return.

Simona Halep © Getty Images Sport – Brennan Asplen

Halep on learning about her doping ban: I felt like a truck hit me 

“Oh, like a truck hit you. 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,” Halep said on Tennis Channel.

“It was really, really difficult. 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.”

Simona Halep © Getty Images Sport – Megan Briggs

Shortly after being cleared to return to tennis, Halep was awarded a main draw wildcard into the Miami Open and she officially played her first match back on March 19th. Against former world No. 2 Paula Badosa, Halep did well in her first match back but still it was the Spaniard who won 1-6 6-4 6-3. 

After Miami, Halep was forced to skip the Madrid Open and a WTA 125 tournament in Oeiras due to knee issue. But Halep is expected to soon return to action after accepting a wildcard into a WTA 125 tournament in Trophée Clarins, which starts on May 13th.