"Hope someone takes responsibility, Simona is not at fault" - Simona Halep's former coach Darren Cahill reiterates Romanian's innocence in dope case
Ever since the shocking revelation of Simona Halep's positive dope test came to light, which led to the Romanian tennis superstar's provisional suspension from the WTA tour, her former coach Darren Cahill has been one of her biggest supporters. Reiterating his support for his former pupil, Cahill has once again come out in strong defense of Halep with regards to the doping case.
When Cahill first reacted to the incident, he had no hesitation in declaring Halep's innocence in the matter. Echoing those thoughts, the Australian coach recently suggested that 'cheating' is not even a far-fetched possibility when it comes to Simona Halep.
Late last year, Halep and her team learned that her consumption of 'Roxadustat', a banned substance for athletes, was the result of a 'contaminated food supplement.' This was a key step in her bid to clear her name and prove her innocence.
Speaking on the matter on the Big Deal Podcast, Cahill admitted that Halep would pay the penalty as she was eventually responsible for the consumption of every substance in her body. However, he also expressed hope that she was not handed a big penalty as he believes she was not at fault.
Cahill also urged the responsible party, whoever that may be, to take ownership of the incident.
"It is true that all athletes are responsible for every substance that enters their system, and Simona Halep will pay the penalty for this," Darren Cahill said. "Hopefully it won't be too much longer, because the fault does not lie with her. She did nothing wrong."
"I hope that whether a company made a mistake, or a medical person, or a person from WTA, or someone from her team did not do their due diligence, someone puts their hand up and takes responsibility for this because one thing I do know is that Simona is not at fault here," he added.
Cahill also expressed optimism for Halep in light of the recent revelation that she conducted Roxadustat through a contaminated source. He then made a strong statement reinforcing his belief in the former World No. 1 and her integrity as a person and an athlete.
Cahill emphatically stated that there was no way Halep could "ever ever cheat.".
"I released a statement when this came out about Simona and I'll be buried standing next to that statement because of her integrity and the DNA she is made of," Cahill said.
"There's no way she'd ever ever cheat," he added. "She is a great woman and a great person. There's no way she could have done the wrong thing."
"I feel sick every time I think about what she is going through" - Darren Cahill on Simona Halep
Further sharing his views on Simona Halep's doping case, Darren Cahill said that he feels "sick" every time he thinks about the difficulties Halep is experiencing.
Cahill, who is currently working with Jannik Sinner, has learned that the next court hearing in Halep's case will be held sometime in February itself. He expressed hope that it would all result in a quick return to the tour for the former Australian Open finalist.
"I think a lot about Simona a lot and I feel sick every time I think about what she is going through," continued Cahill. "I don't have much news, but I understand there will be a hearing in February where she will get a chance to push her case forward."
Simona Halep last competed at the 2022 US Open in August, where she was stunned in the opening round by qualifier Daria Snigur. Her last title came at the Toronto Open, just a couple of weeks before the New York Major.
Halep, who was inside the Top-10 when suspended, has now dropped to No. 15 in the WTA rankings.