5 tennis players who supported Simona Halep during her doping ban

• Halep returned to the WTA Tour at the Miami Open in March after the Court Arbitration for Sports quashed her four-year doping ban
• Prior to the ruling, the Romanian tennis player was out of the tour for 12 months
• It was her lowest moment in her tennis career as she spent sleepless nights trying to prove her innocence

Tennis players who supported Simona Halep during her doping ban and after her return remain priceless.

Halep returned to the WTA Tour at the Miami Open in March after the Court Arbitration for Sports quashed her four-year doping ban. It had been instituted by The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) tribunal in late 2023.

Prior to the CAS ruling in March 2024,  the Romanian tennis player was out of the tour for 12 months on an indefinite suspension.

It was the lowest moment in her tennis career as she spent sleepless nights trying to prove her innocence.

Tennis Players Who Supported Simona Halep

Speaking recently, she admitted that the support she got from tennis players during and after the ban made her at ease. Retired tennis star Ash Barty was one of those players who stood with her in the last 15 months leading up to her doping ban being quashed.

Romanian tennis star Simona Halep. Photo/YouTube

Halep in an exclusive interview with the Associated Press (AP) named Chris Evert, Kim Angelique Kerber, Petra Kvitova and Carla Suarez Navarro as former and current players who stood with her.

How Does Simona Halep Feel Now?

She says her return to playing tennis was nervous and the Miami Open was hard for starters because she did not know how fans and players alike would react.

“I felt like I don’t know what to expect from people (in Miami). How it’s going to be – to be in the locker room again. Players’ dining (area). All this routine that I didn’t do for almost two years, it looked new for me.

“And when I arrived on-site, the love that I received from the people that are working for the tournament, the security, and all the people around, and also the players, helped me to just forget everything. And it felt like I never (was) away,” she narrated.

WTA player Simona Halep. Photo/Sky SPorts

The former world No. 1, however, lost her first-round match at the Miami Open to Paula Badosa in straight sets (1-6, 6-4, 6-3). Badosa outplayed Halep in the latter sets after Halep’s commanding lead.

Still, she felt confident with her performance because she had been out of the tour for over a year and barely got time to practice.

She spent most of her time seeking redress of her doping ban after testing positive for roxadustat, a banned substance by World Anti-doping Agency (WADA).

This was at the US Open 2022 from which she was indefinitely suspended from playing tennis until the matter was heard conclusively.

How is Simona Halep Dealing with Critics?

Halep acknowledges that the last 17 months have not been easy and that she still has a lot to deal with.

“What I went through is not easy. So I cannot forget, like this just because I got cleared. There is baggage that probably will stay longer, and I cannot forget. So I have to handle it better. I have to control my emotions coming back. But the joy, I hope, will help me.”

WTA players Simona Halep and Caroline Wozniacki. Photo/People

One particular baggage she has to deal with is the negative energy of some tennis players such as Caroline Wozniacki.

Wozniacki exchanged words with Halep at the Miami Open the latter’s entry to the tournament on a wild card. She said that anyone who tests positive for doping should not get a wildcard to any WTA 1000 event.

“This is not directly at Simona, but if someone purposely cheats, if someone has tested positive for doping, she stated.

Wozniacki said that in such an event, one should work their way up and not get special favours.

“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 wildcards afterward,” she added.

The Romanian tennis player responded to this outburst by declaring that she was not a cheat. She adamantly maintained that she did nothing wrong.