Simona Halep releases the first (harsh) words, after CAS ruling

“My trust in the system has been tested by the scandalous allegations that have been made against me and the seemingly limitless resources that have been marshalled against me. I can’t wait to get back out on the Tour.”

These were the first words released by Simona Halep, after the CAS accepted her appeal against the 4-year doping disqualification.

Simona Halep© Clive Brunskill / Staff Getty Images Sport

Russell Fuller, a well-known BBC journalist, reported the words of the Romanian tennis player, who will be able to return to playing official tennis events with immediate effect.

“An essential element of the anti-doping system concerns a player’s ability to appeal, and the ITIA respects both their right to do so and the outcome. We await the full reasoned decision, which we will examine in depth in due course,” said International Tennis Integrity Agency, commenting on the CAS decision in a newly released statement.

Simona Halep responds to the CAS decision:
“My faith in the process was tested by the scandalous accusations that were levelled against me, and by the seemingly unlimited resources that were aligned against me. I cannot wait to return to the tour.”

— Russell Fuller (@russellcfuller) March 5, 2024

Simona Halep responds to the CAS decision:
“My faith in the process was tested by the scandalous accusations that were levelled against me, and by the seemingly unlimited resources that were aligned against me. I cannot wait to return to the tour.”

— Russell Fuller (@russellcfuller) March 5, 2024

Simona Halep wins her battle

“The TAS panel has unanimously determined that the four-year period of disqualification imposed by the independent ITF tribunal shall be reduced to a period of disqualification of nine (9) months starting from 7 October 2022, which period expired on 6 July 2023.”

With this statement released by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, Simona Halep can finally smile again and, above all, embrace the tennis court again, after the nightmare she experienced in the last 18 months.

The Romanian tennis player has waged a tough battle since the day she was given a four-year ban because she tested positive for one of the substances prohibited by the regulation: Roxadustat. The CAS approved her appeal, accepting the theory that it was an unintentional contamination.