Simona Halep was suspended provisionally, after failing a drug test during the US Open tennis competition in August.
Simona was suspended by the International Tennis Integrity Agency. They announced the punishment Friday for Halep, a former No. 1 player who is currently No. 9 in the WTA rankings.
Since Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova and Naomi Osaka have all carried the women’s tennis flag high, Simona Halep has also been very dominant.
In 2016, Maria Sharapova tested positive for a banned substance at the 2016 Australian Open, and Halep cemented her stance.
Halep, a 31-year-old from Romania, announced in September she was taking the rest of this season off after having nose surgery to improve her breathing.
Simona is a two-time Grand Slam champion and is currently number 9 in the World Female Tennis rankings.
She won Wimbledon in 2019, beating 23-time major champion Serena Williams in the final, and the French Open in 2018.
Speaking on the incident, Simona took to her social media to write:
“It was the biggest shock of my life. Facing such an unfair situation, I feel completely confused and betrayed.”
“I will fight until the end to prove that I never knowingly took any prohibited substance and I have faith that sooner or later, the truth will come out.”
The ITIA said Simona tested positive in New York for the banned substance Roxadustat, a drug approved for medical use in the European Union to treat the symptoms of anemia caused by chronic kidney failure.
During a provisional suspension, a tennis player is ineligible to compete in, or attend, any sanctioned events
