Simona Halep receives support from Patrick Mouratoglou after 3rd hearing postponement in doping case
Tennis authorities postponed Simona Halep's doping case hearing for the third time earlier this week. Her former coach Patrick Mouratoglou has now lent her support while slamming the ITF (International Tennis Federation) and ITIA (International Tennis Integrity Agency).
Halep faced a provisional ban in October last year after Roxadustat was found in her body during the 2022 US Open. Roxadustat is a drug that stimulates the production of red blood cells and is included in the World Anti-Doping Agency's list of prohibited substances.
Last week, the Romanian was charged with a separate offense as the ITIA cited "irregularities in her Athlete Biological Passport (ABP)."
While she expected a hearing on May 28, it was postponed until next month, leading to Halep venting her frustration on social media on Wednesday, May 24. Reacting to her Instagram post, French coach Mouratoglou stated that it was just a case of the ITF flexing its power and giving itself unnecessary importance.
He added that most of the players whom the ITF accused of doping proved to be "victims of contamination," while the real culprits were on the courts.
"The ITF continues to behave as bad as they have been since the start," Mouratoglou said.
"This is a shame for our sport! They probably want to show the world they are worth something. The immense majority of the player they have tested positive in the last years are victims of a contamination. Where are the people who are really doing doping? Still playing."
In her post, Simona Halep remarked that she was "devastated" and that she had already proven a case of contamination in her supplement last December.
"Once again, tonight, I am devastated," Halep wrote. "I am waiting to be judged since last October. In December, I have finally been able, thanks to experts, to show that the lot of the supplement I was using had been contaminated, which caused the positive control."
Simona Halep wanted to stay silent until doping case was over but couldn't hold back
In a conversation with "Tennis Majors" last month, Simona Halep spoke about the emotional toll that the aforementioned doping charges had taken on her. While she had decided to not speak publicly until the case was dismissed, the Romanian eventually gave in to the mounting pressure.
"Emotionally, the whole period has not been easy and I just felt the need to speak out loud to my fans, to my supporters, and actually to the whole public," she said.
"I’m sure they really want to know what’s going on and why it’s taking so long. I wanted to remain silent until the case was solved but it’s too heavy, so I felt that it would be really good for me to speak about it out loud."
After missing the 2023 Australian Open, Halep is also set to miss out on the French Open and Wimbledon, which could see her drop further down the rankings. She is currently ranked 34th in the world.