Halep’s set for return as doping ban is reduced

SIMONA Halep is free to resume her career after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) reduced her doping ban from four years to nine months.

The former Wimbledon champion tested positive for the blood-boosting drug Roxadustat at the US Open in 2022 and was handed the long ban last September.

Halep appealed to Cas and, following a hearing last month, the court has dramatically reduced the Romanian’s suspension.

A Cas statement read: “The Cas panel has unanimously determined that the four-year period of ineligibility imposed by the ITF (International Tennis Federation) independent tribunal is to be reduced to a period of ineligibility of nine months starting on October 7 2022, which period expired on July 6 2023.”

Halep said in a statement issued by her legal team: “Throughout this process, I have maintained my belief that the truth would eventually come out, and that a just decision would be reached, because I am and always have been a clean athlete.

“My faith in the process was tested by the scandalous accusations that were levelled against me, and by the seemingly unlimited resources that were aligned against me. But in the end, the truth prevailed, even if it took much longer than I wish it had. I’d like to thank my lawyers who have stood with me and believed in me from the beginning.”

The International Tennis Integrity Agency, which oversees tennis’s anti-doping programme, had also appealed seeking an even longer ban, but this is a major victory for Halep, who was staring at the end of her career if the original sanction stood.