‘Going to be the end of my career if appeal against doping ban fails’
Simona Halep faces uncertainty about her future in tennis pending the outcome of her appeal against a four-year doping suspension imposed by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA).
The former world number one, also a former Wimbledon and French Open champion, received the ban following two separate anti-doping rule violations.
The 32-year-old had been under provisional suspension since October 2022 after testing positive for the banned substance roxadustat during the US Open the previous year. Halep expressed her intention to challenge the ITIA’S decision before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), hoping for a favourable verdict that would allow her to continue her professional tennis career.
On Tuesday, CAS said the hearing would be held Feb. 7-9.
Asked if a failed appeal could spell the end of her playing career, Halep told Euronews: “Yeah, because four years is going to be a lot, for my age at least.
“And for an athlete who has done this thing every day for 25 years and dedicated their life to tennis and to sport I don’t know how it’s going to be, but it’s catastrophic if it’s going to be four years, and I don’t know how I will handle it.
“Probably, it’s going to be the end of my career, yes. And for something that I didn’t do and that is not my fault, it’s even more catastrophic.”
Halep said she is hoping to play at next year’s Paris Olympics if her appeal is successful. “I know there are not big chances for this, but I’m dreaming of this because Paris is my dream city,” said the Romanian, speaking in an interview published on Friday.
“I won Roland Garros here when I was a junior, so everything started very early, and it will be amazing to be back on court, no matter what. But I just want to be on court because that’s where I belong and I feel like I want to do it again.”
Probably, it’s going to be the end of my career. And for something that I didn’t do and that is not my fault SIMONA HALEP