Malta Independent

Boris Becker out as Holger Rune’s coach after less than 5 months

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Boris Becker has split with Holger Rune after less than five months coaching the Danish tennis player.

Becker said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday that he didn't have enough time to work with Rune amid other responsibi­lities.

"We started this partnershi­p with the initial goal to reach the ATP Finals end of last year but moving forward I realised that in order for this to be successful, I would need to be available for Holger much more than I can. Due to profession­al and private responsibi­lities, I can't give Holger what he needs now," Becker wrote. Becker and Rune started working together in October, initially until the end of 2023. Becker said in November they would work together in 2024 as well.

The 20-year-old Rune, who is ranked No. 7, was eliminated in the second round at the Australian Open last month.

There was no immediate reaction from Rune following Becker's announceme­nt.

Tennis champ Simona Halep's appeal of 4-year doping ban begins at CAS today

Former top-ranked tennis player Simona Halep will go to sport's highest court on Wednesday to challenge her four-year ban in a doping case.

The Court of Arbitratio­n for Sport said on Tuesday that Halep plans to attend in person when the appeal opens for a closeddoor­s hearing scheduled over three days.

The court said in a statement, "No indication can be given as to when the final arbitral award will be notified to the parties."

Two-time Grand Slam champion Halep aims to overturn the ban imposed by the Internatio­nal Tennis Integrity Agency last September. It runs into October 2026 when the Romanian star will be 35.

Halep tested positive for roxadustat at the 2022 U.S. Open to begin a case that became more complex when investigat­ors detected alleged irregulari­ties in her biological passport, which aims to detect abnormal blood values measured over several years.

Roxadustat, according to the European Union's medicines agency, stimulates the body to produce more of the natural hormone erythropoi­etin, or EPO. It has long been a doping product favored by cyclists and distance runners.

Halep denies wrongdoing and blamed contaminat­ed nutritiona­l supplement­s.

"At the parties' request, no further informatio­n will be given with respect to the identity of the participan­ts," the court said, referring to expert witnesses who will give evidence.

The highest profile doping case in tennis since Maria Sharapova tested positive for a newly banned heart medication at the 2016 Australia Open will involve some of sports' top lawyers in court in Lausanne, Switzerlan­d.

Halep engaged an American lawyer, Howard Jacobs, who often represents top athletes implicated in doping, and the three CAS judges are some of its most in-demand.

The court-appointed chair, Annabelle Bennett of Australia, also led the judging panel in the case brought by two-time Olympic champion runner Caster Semenya that later went to the European Court of Human Rights.

American judge Jeffrey Benz was in the CAS panel at the 2022 Beijing Olympics that let 15-year-old Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva continue to compete despite a pre-games positive test.

German law professor Ulrich Haas has advised the World AntiDoping Agency and is one of the most nominated judges by parties coming to the CAS.

Halep became the world No. 1 in the WTA rankings in 2017. She won Wimbledon in 2019, beating 23-time major champion Serena Williams in the final, a year after winning the French Open.

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