From world number one in tennis to being SUSPENDED for four years due to DOPING

The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) punished the former world number one for violating the Anti-Doping Program. The Romanian will appeal to CAS.

Romanian tennis player Simona Halep was suspended for four years for dopingafter a prohibited substance is found in a sample provided by during the US Open in August 2022. The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) reported the sentence on Tuesday after it was temporarily suspended in October last year.

Almost a year ago, ITIA shocked the tennis world by talking to appearance of Roxadustat, an anti-anemia drug that increases erythropoietin production, in Halep’s urine. After a difficult investigation, this agency announced on Tuesday that it had happened suspended for four years for non-compliance with the Tennis Anti-Doping Program.

“The court accepted Halep’s argument that they took a contaminated supplement, but determined that the amount ingested by the player could not have resulted in the concentration of roxadustat found in the positive sample.”, said the ITIA statement. The former world number one’s suspension will begin on October 7, 2022 until October 6, 2026. The case remains subject to Halep’s own appeal.

Winner of 24 titles throughout his career, in 2022 he won them in Melbourne and Toronto. It was imposed in 2018 on Roland Garros and in 2019 at Wimbledon. Last year’s US Open was the last tournament the Romanian playedwho lost in the first round to Ukrainian Daria Snigur 6-2, 0-6 and 6-4.

What is Roxadustat and what does it do in an athlete’s body?

He Roxadustat It is on the list of prohibited substances of the World Anti-Doping Agency because it increases the endogenous production of erythropoietin and stimulates the production of hemoglobin and red blood cells, which is why it is estimated that improves the performance of athletes.

Pictures: Robert Prange and Jean Catuffe/Getty Images.