Simona Halep seems to have faced a setback in her efforts to restore her WTA ranking after eight players declined to assist the Romanian athlete. In September 2023, Halep was suspended from tennis for four years due to a doping breach, but following an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, the penalty was […]
Simona Halep seems to have faced a setback in her efforts to restore her WTA ranking after eight players declined to assist the Romanian athlete.
In September 2023, Halep was suspended from tennis for four years due to a doping breach, but following an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, the penalty was eventually shortened to nine months.
The former World No.1 made her return to the sport earlier this year after completing the nine-month suspension while the CAS proceedings were still in progress.
However, her aspirations to regain her WTA ranking points seem to have gone unheard.
Halep posted an Instagram story stating: “So it seems Simona sought assistance from the WIA players’ council regarding the recovery of her ranking and was turned down. It’s easy to understand why when you see who is on the council.”
The image was paired with a list of council members, featuring Victoria Azarenka, Caroline Garcia, Madison Keys, Jessica Pegula, Donna Vekic, Daria Saville, Gabriela Dabrowski, and Alex Krunic.
Halep has expressed her discontent with the anti-doping measures in tennis, particularly concerning what she perceives as lenient penalties imposed on Iga Swiatek and Jannik Sinner.
Swiatek recently received a one-month suspension after testing positive for a prohibited substance, while Sinner faced no consequences despite traces of clostebol being detected in his system.
Speaking about the former in an exclusive interview with The Telegraph, Halep opted not to mention Swiatek by name.
She remarked: “The female player – I don’t want to mention her by name, you know whom I’m referring to – received a three-week suspension, then participated in two competitions, and subsequently was suspended again. What does that mean? It’s baffling to me. I find it unfair.”
One of Halep’s main concerns was that Swiatek’s situation was kept confidential until a ruling was made, unlike her own case, which was announced immediately.
She elaborated in the passionate interview: “What I perceive as another unfair aspect is that my case was announced right away, resulting in all the media scrutiny, while for these two players, they kept it hidden and only discussed it once a conclusion was reached, which is quite odd.
“I also requested to lift the provisional suspension so I could compete. I said, ‘If you eventually decide that I’m guilty, you can revoke the points and all the earnings, but allow me to play,’ because I wanted to maintain my form. I made this request two or three times, yet now they [Sinner and Swiatek] are allowed to compete.”
