Simona Halep says her career is ‘probably over’ after doping ban

Simona Halep expressed uncertainty about her future in tennis if the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) does not rule in her favor regarding a four-year doping suspension, as stated by the former world number one from Romania.

In September, the 32-year-old, a former Wimbledon and French Open champion, received a four-year ban from the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) due to two separate anti-doping rule violations.

Having been under provisional suspension since October 2022 for testing positive for the banned blood-booster roxadustat at the U.S. Open last year, Halep announced her intention to appeal the ITIA’s decision to CAS, the highest court in sports.

CAS announced on Tuesday that the hearing is scheduled for February 7-9.

Simona Halep appeal set for February.

Recently in an interview with @EuroNews she said,she was always been against doping.#tennis pic.twitter.com/6VYYBQcjzh

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Halep 4-year doping ban cut to 9 months after appeal in CAS

— FirstSportz Tennis (@FS_Tennis1) December 16, 2023

When asked if an unsuccessful appeal could mark the end of her playing career, Halep told Euronews: “Yeah, because four years is going to be a lot, especially for my age. And for an athlete who has dedicated their life to tennis and sport for 25 years, I don’t know how it’s going to be, but it’s catastrophic if it’s four years, and I don’t know how I will handle it.

“Probably, it’s going to be the end of my career, yes. And for something that I didn’t do and that is not my fault, it’s even more catastrophic.”

Halep expressed her hope to compete in the Paris Olympics next year if her appeal is successful. “I know there are not big chances for this, but I’m dreaming of this because Paris is my dream city,” she said in an interview published on Friday.