Simona Halep says she is the victim of ITIA harassment

Former world No 1 Simona Halep has claimed that she is the victim of a malicious campaign of harassment at the hands of ethics watchdog the International Tennis Integrity Agency.

Halep has refuted a second round of charges levied at her by the ITIA.

The ITIA issued a second set of charges against Halep after they allegedly detected an abnormal evolution in her blood.

Halep says that she has had her blood samples analysed by independent experts who disagree with the ITIA findings.

“Since October 7, when I got charged by the ITIA for a suspicion of doping, I have lived the worst nightmare I have ever gone through in my life,” Halep said in a statement published to her social media accounts.

“Not only has my name been soiled in the worst possible way, but I am facing a constant determination from the ITIA for a reason that I cannot understand, to prove my guilt while I haven’t EVER even thought of taking any illicit substance.

“I tried two times to have the opportunity to be judged by an Independent Tribunal and the ITIA has constantly found reasons to postpone.

“Now that we have clearly established that I have been victim of a contamination, they came up with a so-called not normal evolution of my blood. Three world renowned experts that have studied my blood tests have been extremely clear that my blood is totally normal.”

Halep says that she is desperate to have her chance to prove her innocence in a Tribunal

“I feel helpless facing such harassment and a motivation on their behalf to prove me guilty of something I never did,” Halep’s statement continues.

“Once again, all my life I have been totally against any sort of cheating. It doesn’t align with my values.

“The only thing I hope for, at this point, is to have the possibility to finally access the independent and impartial judges in a Tribunal, that will give me the chance to prove my innocence.

“I have full trust in justice and I look forward to finally being able to present my case at my hearing that is scheduled at the end of May, after several delays by the ITIA.

“The support of my loved ones, the tennis world and my fans have given me the courage to continue to practice every day and fight for the truth. I cannot thank you more for that. Love, Simona.”

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