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Tennis fans recently registered their disappointment at Simona Halep's reduced sentence in the doping scandal after learning about the fresh claims made by tennis journalist David Walsh.
The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) handed Halep a four-year ban in September 2023 after she tested positive for consuming roxadustat during the US Open 2022.
Halep denied consuming roxadustat intentionally and maintained innocence while claiming the prohibited substance entered her body through a supplement. She challenged ITIA's ruling in the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and managed to get her ban reduced from four years to nine months.
The Romanian returned to competitive tennis a few weeks ago and competed in Miami Open 2024 as a wildcard entrant. However, journalist David Walsh has put out an article in The Times claiming the CAS has overlooked crucial details regarding the concentration of roxadustat found in Halep's sample taken in August 2022.
Tennis fans on X (formerly Twitter) went through Walsh's account and condemned the CAS' decision. One fan expressed his displeasure over Simona Halep receiving a wildcard into the Miami Open main draw.
"Yep, after much thought, for now my opinion is that I don't like Halep getting wildcards into WTA tournaments. For that, I take the available evidence we have, that is, the ITIA report. CAS has remained silent and is yet to justify its ruling properly," the fan wrote.
Another fan suggested that the CAS based its decision on emotional grounds.
"I do find it odd how the media reaction to the CAS ruling has been to immediately side with CAS, shunning the ITIA as some fraudulent institution. We have a 100+ page long report with extremely detailed reasoning from the ITIA. We have nothing from CAS beyond “we believed Halep”," the fan said.
A third user opined that Halep's popularity on the circuit aided her cause, and wrote:
"So basically Halep doped and doped heavily. The entire tennis system took way too long to come to a decision. And because she’s “well liked” they ended up giving her a slap on the wrist AND a Wildcard into the very next Masters tournament on the schedule? Got it."
Here are more reactions from tennis fans:
Caroline Wozniacki too opposed Miami Open awarding Simona Halep wildcard entry
Former World No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki recently opposed Miami Open's decision to award Simona Halep a wildcard entry into the main draw arguing that the Romanian was not given a clean chit but had her punishment reduced.
"She [Simona Halep] got her suspension reduced. It wasn't a clearance, it was a reduced sentence. She's now been off of the game for a while and she's coming back," Wozniacki said during a press conference.
The Dane continued:
"If someone purposely cheats, if someone has tested positive for doping... it's my personal belief, and it's not a knock on anyone, but I don't think people should be awarded wild cards afterwards."
Simona Halep couldn't make the most of the opportunity in Miami and crashed out of the tournament with a first-round loss to Paula Badosa in three sets. Wozniacki's journey also didn't last too long as the Dane lost to Anhelina Kalinina in the second round.
