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Eight months after being handed a doping suspension, Simona Halep has been left rattled after she was slapped with a second doping charge by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) on Friday, May 19.
According to the ITIA's statement, an analysis of the Romanian's Biological Passport led to the charge, although the exact nature of the discovery has not been made public.
Reacting to the accusation, the former World No. 1 came out firing on all cylinders on social media, stating that her name has already been soiled in the "worst possible way" by the ITIA. Halep could not understand why the agency was so determined to prove that she was guilty even though, by her own admission, she has never once even thought of taking an banned substance.
"Since October 7, when I got charged by the ITIA for a suspicion of doping, I have lived the worst nightmare I have ever gone through in my life," Halep said. "Not only has my name been soiled in the worst possible way, but I am facing a constant determination from the ITIA for a reason that I cannot understand, to prove my guilt while I haven't EVER even thought of taking any illicit substance."
In a recent interview, the two-time Grand Slam champion had spoken about how the ITIA kept on postponing her hearing, causing her untoward stress in the process. Halep reiterated that once again, lamenting how now they have come up with an additional charge just after she had proved that the first charge was simply due to a contamination with the help of renowned experts on the subject.
"I tried two times to have the opportunity to be judged by an Independent Tribunal and the ITIA has constantly found reasons to postpone. Now that we have clearly established that I have been victim of a contamination, they came up with a so-called not normal evolution of my blood," Simona Halep said. "Three world renowned experts that have studied my blood tests have been extremely clear that my blood is totally normal."
Admitting that she was feeling "helpless" in light of such "harassment" from a body that is supposed to help tennis players, Simona Halep maintained that cheating has never been a course of action she has aligned herself with and hoped to clear her name soon.
Interestingly, the 41-year-old added that she was hoping to get "impartial" judges in her sentence hearing, a rather loaded statement that points to further animosity between the Romanian and the ITIA.
"I feel helpless facing such harassment and a motivation on their behalf to prove me guilty of something I never did. Once again, all my life I have been totally against any sort of cheating. It doesn't align with my values," Simona Halep said. "The only thing I hope for, at this point, is to have the possibility to finally access the independent and impartial judges in a Tribunal, that will give me the chance to prove my innocence."
"I have full trust in justice" - Simona Halep looking forward to her hearing at the end of May
Regardless, Simona Halep declared that she had her "full trust" in justice and that she was looking forward to her hearing, which is currently scheduled for May 28. In the meantime, the former World No. 1 thanked the tennis world and her fans for continuing to give her the support she needs during this arduous journey.
"I have full trust in justice and I look forward to finally being able to present my case at my hearing that is scheduled at the end of May, after several delays by the ITIA," Halep said. "The support of my loved ones, the tennis world and my fans have given me the courage to continue to practice every day and fight for the truth. I cannot thank you more for that."
