Caroline Wozniacki ignites Simona Halep feud over doping claims
Caroline Wozniacki has risked a feud with Simona Halep after saying the Romanian should not receive wild cards for tournaments due to her doping ban.
Wozniacki beat Halep in the 2018 Australian Open final to win her only major, and they have always appeared to have a strong relationship off the court.
However, Wozniacki has spoken out after Halep’s wild card return at the Miami Open, restating a long-standing call for stricter consequences for those who dope, whether it’s intentional or not.
Halep tested positive for Roxadustat at the 2022 US Open, although she has always maintained it was a result of a contaminated drink and her coach at the time, Patrick Mouratoglou, has attempted to take responsibility for it.
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She was given a four-year suspension but that was retrospectively reduced on appeal earlier this month by the Court of Arbitration for Sport to nine months. That suspension had already been served, freeing Halep to return to the WTA Tour immediately.
That return did not go well as she lost 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 to Paula Badosa in the first round at Miami, but Wozniacki insists she shouldn’t have even been allowed to be in the draw in the first place.
“First of all, I’ve always liked Simona” Caroline Wozniacki told the press in Miami. “We’ve always had a good relationship.
“I’ve been very outspoken in the past how I feel about doping and all of that. I think my view on doping is the same. I have always wanted a clean sport, fair for everybody. I think it’s definitely still my opinion.
“Again, this is not directly at Simona, but if someone purposely cheats, if someone has tested positive for doping… I understand why a tournament wants a big star in the tournament, but it’s my personal belief, and it’s not a knock on anyone, but it’s my personal belief that I don’t think people should be awarded wild cards afterwards.
“If you want to come back, and it’s been a mistake, I understand, you should work your way up from the bottom. That’s my personal opinion upon things.
“Simona’s situation has obviously dragged on for a long time. She got her suspension reduced. It wasn’t a clearance, it was a reduced sentence. She’s now been off of the game for a while and she’s coming back.
“Again, I just hope for a clean sport. That’s all I want. I want to have good role models for the young generation. It’s a sport that has a lot of money in it, a lot of competitiveness, a lot of competitors. I want a fair fight.
“I’ve always been a very honest athlete and always looked at everything that I’ve taken. Even taking Tylenol is something I double and triple check three times.
“All I want is for my kids to look up and say, You know what, I want to play tennis and I want to play fair. I still got a chance. I want to be out there competing fair and square with everyone else.
“That’s my view on things, how I’m raising my kids as well. Fight fair. No matter where you’re going to be, what you want to do, just do it with the right mindset, yeah. That’s where I am.”
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