Simona Halep refuses to use Iga Swiatek’s name as she slams ‘unacceptable’ doping case handling
Simona Halep refused to name Iga Swiatek as she doubled down on her claim that the Polish star’s doping case was handled differently to her own.
The former world No 1 and proclaimed that the way she was treated is “unfair” and “unacceptable.”
Halep was given a four-year ban from tennis in September last year after testing positive for the banned blood doping agent Roxadustat at the 2022 US Open.
In March, the Romanian’s ban was reduced to nine months following her appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). This allowed Halep to return to tennis with immediate effect as she had already served more than nine months of her ban, having been unable to play since her positive test in August 2022.
It was announced on Thursday that Swiatek had tested positive for the banned substance trimetazidine in August.
The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) announced in a statement that Swiatek had received a one-month suspension as it was deemed she carried “no significant fault or negligence.”
Swiatek was provisionally suspended from September 12 to October 4, which means the 23-year-old Polish star had already served 22 days of her ban on the day the news emerged. Therefore, the five-time Grand Slam champion and world No 2 will be able to compete at her next two scheduled events: the United Cup and the Australian Open.
Simona Halep News
Swiatek & Sinner to Sharapova: 7 Grand Slam champion doping scandals
Swiatek’s case came after men’s world No 1 Jannik Sinner avoided a ban for failing two doping tests in March due to the presence of clostebol, an anabolic steroid.
An independent tribunal accepted Sinner’s explanation that the substance had entered his body when receiving a massage from his former physio, who had used a spray containing the steroid to treat a cut on his finger.
However, the World Anti-Doping Agency has appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport over the verdict, seeking to impose a ban of up to two years on the Italian.
In an interview with Telegraph Sport, Halep revealed her reaction to the handling of Swiatek and Sinner’s cases.
“Big pain, big pain,” the 33-year-old said. “I felt like they [the ITIA] were unfair to me before, but now it’s even more.
“I was so, so upset and so sad when I saw the situation. It’s just unacceptable, from my point of view.
“Yeah, I lost my sleep again. I lost it for the two years during the process (of contesting her own doping ban), then I got it back. And now, after [what happened], for a few days, yeah, I lost it again. All the negative thinking, negative thoughts, it’s not easy to handle.
“The woman player – I don’t want to give name, you know about who I’m talking about – she had the three-week suspension, then she played two events, and then she gets again suspension. What is this? I mean, I don’t understand. So I feel it is not fair.”
The two-time major champion made her comeback in Miami and she has played only five matches since being cleared to compete.
Halep spoke about the challenges she has faced on her return to the tour.
“I didn’t expect it to be so difficult to come back,” the Romanian admitted.
“I thought ‘I know the feelings, I know how I have to train’ – but suddenly it was so difficult to manage the emotions before the matches. I have always been emotional before matches, but now I feel sick in the stomach again.
“When I did play matches, I felt a little bit soft [physically]. The steps that you have to do towards the ball, towards the corners, they were not there. I think the brain was not sending the right message to the legs.
“Every day I stay on the court, doing all what I did before. But when I start to play a match, it’s different. I played two tournaments, and for three days I was so sore. So this is my main goal: to get some matches, to get some wins, to get the confidence back.”
READ NEXT: Iga Swiatek doping ban: Andy Roddick’s honest verdict: ‘I can’t call it doping… it just sucks’
