Former top-ranked women’s singles player Simona Halep has been provisionally suspended after failing a drug test during the 2022 U.S. Open.
The International Tennis Integrity Agency announced the suspension on Friday, saying that Halep tested positive for Roxadustat, a prohibited substance.
Halep announced on Sept. 15 that she was ending her season and undergoing nose surgery to improve her breathing. The two-time Grand Slam champion released a statement on Friday shortly after the suspension was announced.
“I will fight until the end to prove I never knowingly took any prohibited substance and I have faith that sooner or later, that truth will come out,” she wrote.
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Under the provisional suspension, Halep is not allowed to compete in any sanctioned tennis events put together by governing bodies of the sport.
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Halep currently holds the No. 9 WTA ranking. She fell to Daria Snigur of Ukraine in the opening round of the U.S. Open in her most recent match.
