"In almost 30 years, I have never faced a situation like this" - Patrick Mouratoglou expresses shock over Simona Halep's doping scandal, declares his priority is to 'establish the truth'
Patrick Mouratoglou has broken his silence over Simona Halep's doping scandal, clarifying how he is handling the situation. Mouratoglou, who is Halep's coach, stated that he and his team are still in shock after Halep tested positive for a banned substance and stated that he has never faced such a situation in his career.
Mouratoglou has been relatively silent since Halep's revelation last week, apart from a single-sentence social media message where Mouratoglou said he supports Halep. The French coach has now shed more light on the situation in a detailed statement on Instagram.
"First, I want to express how much of a shock our team has been in since Simona informed me about the positive doping test from the US Open. In almost 30 years of working with hundreds of professional athletes, I have never faced a situation like this," Mouratoglou wrote in an Instagram post.
Mouratoglou has come under fire from fans for being silent about the matter over the last few days, apart from a simple statement last week. He clarified that he 'chose to remain relatively silent' and has made it his priority to help Simona Halep find out the truth behind her consumption of Roxadustat and thereby prove her innocence.
"Since Simona's positive test last week, I have chosen to stay relatively silent. My priority has been to put my energy into helping her and supporting her in establishing the truth every day," continued Mouratoglou.
"She is a model of integrity" - Patrick Mouratoglou on Simona Halep
Patrick Mouratoglou went on to praise Simona Halep, calling her a "model of integrity." The Frenchman, who is Serena Williams' former coach, confidently stated that he is fully certain Halep will never engage in any form of doping intentionally, saying that he trusts her completely.
"Knowing Simona so well, I can assure that she is a model of integrity...I trust her 100%," Mouratoglou stated.
He further thanked some of the people Halep has known in the past who have personally vouched for her and expressed their belief in the Romanian tennis superstar. Among the messages were those from her former coach Darren Cahill and Halep's ex-husband Toni Iuruc.
"I want to thank those people for expressing loudly in such an important moment that Simona is a woman of value. Their words of certitude convey a strong message that I stand by," the 52-year-old added.
Mouratoglou began working with Halep back in April after announcing his split with Williams. Halep reached the Wimbledon semifinals in July and won the Canadian Open in August but suffered early exits at the French Open and US Open. Before she learned of the positive doping test, she ended her season due to nose surgery.