Boris Becker, Patrick Mouratoglou among big names to react to Simona Halep doping verdict
The tennis world has reacted to the news Simona Halep can return to the sport after successfully appealing her doping ban, with Boris Becker and Patrick Mouratoglou among the notable figures to comment.
Halep’s four-year doping ban was reduced to nine months following her appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). The former world No 1 can play again with immediate effect as she has already served more than nine months of her ban, having been unable to play since the 2022 US Open.
The Romanian appeared before the CAS from February 7-9 for her appeal hearing at the CAS Headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland. The CAS panel revealed the outcome of the two time Grand Slam champion’s appeal in a statement released on Tuesday.
“Having carefully considered all the evidence put before it, the Cas Panel determined that Ms Halep had established, on the balance of probabilities, that the Roxadustat entered her body through the consumption of a contaminated supplement which she had used in the days shortly before 29 August 2022,” it said.
“The Roxadustat, as detected in her sample, came from that contaminated product. As a result, the CAS Panel determined that Ms Halep had also established, on the balance of probabilities, that her anti-doping rule violations were not intentional.
“Although the CAS Panel found that Ms Halep did bear some level of fault or negligence for her violations, as she did not exercise sufficient care when using the Keto MCT supplement, it concluded that she bore no significant fault or negligence.”
READ MORE: Simona Halep sues company for huge damages over supplement linked to doping ban
In response to Halep’s emotional Instagram post in reaction to the decision, a number of current and former tennis stars expressed their approval at the news.
Six-time Grand Slam champion Becker wrote: “Always remember who stood by you in moments of despair…they shall be your shining armour moving forward! We can’t wait seeing you back on court kicking ass 🙌🙌🙌 .”
WTA player Alize Cornet commented: “The only possible outcome of this whole scandal. Welcome back Simona 🙌❤️”, while 2009 US Open winner Juan Martin Del Potro and three time major doubles champion Elena Vesnina also shared their support.
Patrick Mouratoglou, Halep’s former coach — who currently works with ATP star Holger Rune — also drew attention by responding: “The truth prevailed.”
Mouratoglou then agreed with a tweet by Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA) director Ahmad Nassar lamenting the time Halep has lost in her career by saying: “The unfairness is incredible. Yes it has to change.”
Halep was coached by Mouratoglou from 2022 until her suspension and the Frenchman has accepted blame for providing a contaminated supplement for the Romanian.
“We brought her collagen from a company. This collagen happened to be contaminated. There was no way to know it. But I feel responsible for what happened because it’s my team—so me, basically—who brought her this collagen,” Mouratoglou said in a video on his Instagram account in November.
Tennis legends Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova and Billie Jean King, as well as Halep’s former coach Darren Cahill, also voiced their backing for the 32-year-old after the positive verdict in posts on X.
Good morning!!! ☺️❤️#simo
— Darren Cahill (@darren_cahill) March 5, 2024
Halep was given a four-year ban from tennis for “intentional” doping offences by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) in September. The Romanian denied having “knowingly or intentionally used any prohibited substance” and immediately announced she would appeal the decision.
Prior to her ban, Halep had been provisionally suspended since October 2022 after she tested positive for the banned substance Roxadustat at the 2022 US Open. She was subsequently charged with irregularities in her Athlete Biological Passport (ABP).
The ITIA confirmed in September that both the charges for Halep’s positive test for Roxadustat, and for the irregularities in her Athlete Biological Passport, had been upheld, with an independent tribunal suspending her for four years for breaches of the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme (TADP).
The former world No 1, who has not played since her opening round defeat to Daria Snigur at the 2022 US Open, can now make her tennis comeback as soon as she chooses.
READ MORE: Simona Halep releases emotional statement as her doping nightmare ends
