Simona Halep reveals that she believes ‘the truth is going to come out’ after appeal hearing
Simona Halep appears confident after her doping ban appeal in Lausanne, Switzerland, with the former No.1 hoping to overturn her four-year suspension.
Halep was banned last year after she tested positive for the prohibited substance roxadustat at the 2022 US Open, with the Romanian unable to return to the WTA Tour until October 2026.
My fight continues. pic.twitter.com/kx5uzrLWCz
— Simona Halep (@Simona_Halep) September 12, 2023
There were also charges against Halep’s biological passport, with investigators detecting irregularities in terms of having abnormal blood values.
The 32-year-old has consistently denied ‘knowingly’ taking any banned substance, and has suggested that this ban could be the end of her career.
As a result, Halep appealed the decision and has spent the past three days at the Court of Arbitration for Sport attempting to prove her innocence.
In the original hearing, the two-time Grand Slam champion provided evidence that there was a contaminated sample in nutritional supplements, but it was adjudged that although there was proof of that the levels of roxadustat were too high to just be a contamination.
After the appeal hearing took place, Halep released a short statement to press outside the court, “Well, it was a long hearing and what I can say is that I had the chance to show my defense. I really believe that the truth is going to come out. I cannot speak more so I have to wait (for) the decision and then I will be able to give more information.”
"The truth is going to come out."
Former world No. 1 Simona Halep speaks after her three-day appeal against her four year-ban from tennis ended at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Halep was banned after testing positive for the banned substance Roxadusat at the 2022 US Open. pic.twitter.com/7Hzk2bU36I
— Eurosport (@eurosport) February 9, 2024
Despite the hearing now being completed, the court has released a statement revealing that there is no specific date for an outcome to the appeal, “No particular date was announced with respect to the notification of the final decision.”
Inside the baseline…
It has been an incredibly long and drawn out process for Simona Halep, but these things are very complex and need time and consideration to obtain the correct outcome. Halep has always been adamant that she is innocent and her confidence after the appeal hearing suggests that she believes her ban is at least going to be shortened to allow her career to get back underway.
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