"The ITIA should be ashamed of their actions" - Tennis fans rally behind Simona Halep as she shares helplessness over second doping charge

Simona Halep received overwhelming support from tennis fans after she shared her helplessness in the face of a second doping charge leveled at her by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) on Friday, May 19.Eight months after receiving a provisional suspension from the WTA tour for testing positive for Roxadustat, Halep was handed an additional charge by the ITIA for irregularities in her Athlete Biological Passport (ABP) as determined by an independent expert panel.Reacting to the accusation, Simona Halep took to social media and stated that she felt &quot;helpless&quot; in light of such &quot;harassment&quot; from the ITIA. She called out the agency for the repeated delays in her hearing, despite strong evidence proving that the initial doping charge against her was the result of contamination.Simona Halep@Simona_Halep3296395https://t.co/kg8OzR3Ha2Several fans rallied in support of the former World No. 1 and criticized the ITIA for not giving the Romanian a fair chance to defend herself.&quot;Irrespective of the outcome, you are being denied the right to present your case. The ITIA should be ashamed of their actions; I hope that they are held accountable and I trust you will be completely cleared,&quot; a fan tweeted.Brian@bbirmingham@Simona_Halep Irrespective of the outcome, you are being denied the right to present your case. The ITIA should be ashamed of their actions; I hope that they are held accountable and I trust you will be completely cleared 10@Simona_Halep Irrespective of the outcome, you are being denied the right to present your case. The ITIA should be ashamed of their actions; I hope that they are held accountable and I trust you will be completely cleared ❤️&quot;Stay strong, Simona. The time this is taking is totally unacceptable. After you are cleared, there needs to be a review of the whole process for these matters. You are a great ambassador for your sport and a great champion. You do not deserve such treatment,&quot; another fan chimed in.Paul Helyer@PaulHely@Simona_Halep Stay strong, Simona. The time this is taking is totally unacceptable. After you are cleared, there needs to be a review of the whole process for these matters. You are a great ambassador for your sport and a great champion. You do not deserve such treatment .6@Simona_Halep Stay strong, Simona. The time this is taking is totally unacceptable. After you are cleared, there needs to be a review of the whole process for these matters. You are a great ambassador for your sport and a great champion. You do not deserve such treatment .Another fan claimed that the agency appeared to be &quot;dead set&quot; on finding the two-time Grand Slam champion guilty.&quot;I don't know what you did to piss them off - it looks like they dead set to find you guilty of something. Shame on them,&quot; the user commented.Dolly@dollyburton_@Simona_Halep I don't know what you did to piss them off - it looks like they are dead set to find you guilty of something. Shame on them.21@Simona_Halep I don't know what you did to piss them off - it looks like they are dead set to find you guilty of something. Shame on them.One fan asserted that there was a &quot;certain level of misogyny&quot; involved in how Halep was being treated as compared to the treatment meted out to Marin Cilic and Viktor Troicki during their doping trials.&quot;Gotta feel for Simo, she really is backed into a corner atm. You also have a feeling that there is a certain level of misogyny involved in how she's being treated, because the likes of Marin Cilic and Viktor Troicki were never treated the same way + cleared to compete in months,&quot; the fan wrote.Rudra@stefvvithsignGotta feel for Simo, she really is backed into a corner atm. You also have a feeling that there is a certain level of misogyny involved in how she's being treated, because the likes of Marin Cilic and Viktor Troicki were never treated the same way + cleared to compete in months twitter.com/Simona_Halep/s…Simona Halep@Simona_Halep10408https://t.co/kg8OzR3Ha2Gotta feel for Simo, she really is backed into a corner atm. You also have a feeling that there is a certain level of misogyny involved in how she's being treated, because the likes of Marin Cilic and Viktor Troicki were never treated the same way + cleared to compete in months twitter.com/Simona_Halep/s…Here are some more fan reactions to Simona Halep's statement:NobodyHoly@DAuditor4@Simona_Halep @itia_tennis I'm highly disappointed. What a sham.This is why Tennis isn't recognized as one of the greatest sports.6@Simona_Halep @itia_tennis I'm highly disappointed. What a sham.This is why Tennis isn't recognized as one of the greatest sports.Bev@bev_springdaffy@Simona_Halep Stay strong Simona. Your fans are right behind you. We have missed you and are waiting for you to be back playing the game you love. Pray and trust yourself that the Tribunal will bring justice. Best wishes all the way.3@Simona_Halep Stay strong Simona. Your fans are right behind you. We have missed you and are waiting for you to be back playing the game you love. Pray and trust yourself that the Tribunal will bring justice. Best wishes all the way.𝒥𝑒𝓃𝓃𝓃😊@jennH287@Simona_Halep It’s pretty obvious that @itia_tennis is against you and I don’t understand the reasons behind that. We know very well that you would never ever do something like this, we know your character and principles. For us, it’s not even a doubt about your innocence. #alwaysbyyourside 11@Simona_Halep It’s pretty obvious that @itia_tennis is against you and I don’t understand the reasons behind that. We know very well that you would never ever do something like this, we know your character and principles. For us, it’s not even a doubt about your innocence. #alwaysbyyourside ❤️Angela Medwid@hawkinscheezies@Simona_Halep I cannot believe this is still hanging over your head, over your career. We know that this is totally against your principles and ethics. Sue them!! Sue them. They only need to legitimize themselves by finding something suspicious that is really contamination! Grrrrr &amp;3@Simona_Halep I cannot believe this is still hanging over your head, over your career. We know that this is totally against your principles and ethics. Sue them!! Sue them. They only need to legitimize themselves by finding something suspicious that is really contamination! Grrrrr &amp;&hearts;️&hearts;️&hearts;️&hearts;️Marcel@FindngtimeagainAdmittedly I've always been fond of Simona, and I'm sorry if it makes me naïve, but I just don't think she's a cheater. Something seems very off about all this. Hope this gets resolved for her ASAP. twitter.com/Simona_Halep/s…Simona Halep@Simona_Halep2406https://t.co/kg8OzR3Ha2Admittedly I've always been fond of Simona, and I'm sorry if it makes me naïve, but I just don't think she's a cheater. Something seems very off about all this. Hope this gets resolved for her ASAP. twitter.com/Simona_Halep/s…Loli@LoliLondon@Simona_Halep This situation with no resolution is awfulIt can happen to any player -when all is asked is to have a fair trial to hear both sidesIm surprised none of your colleagues offer any supportPlayers Council @vika7 @Ons_Jabeur etc? What due processes are for colleagues in impasse?10@Simona_Halep This situation with no resolution is awfulIt can happen to any player -when all is asked is to have a fair trial to hear both sidesIm surprised none of your colleagues offer any supportPlayers Council @vika7 @Ons_Jabeur etc? What due processes are for colleagues in impasse?Jake Kulick🦁@player3jrkJUSTICE FOR SIMO!!!! For the love of god she deserves a much better fate than this 🤬 it’s painfully shameful what they’re putting her through. We know she will keep fighting in every way possible as she always has twitter.com/simona_halep/s…Simona Halep@Simona_Halep552https://t.co/kg8OzR3Ha2JUSTICE FOR SIMO!!!! For the love of god she deserves a much better fate than this 😔 🤬 it’s painfully shameful what they’re putting her through. We know she will keep fighting in every way possible as she always has ❤️ twitter.com/simona_halep/s…Simona Halep's coach Patrick Mouratoglou condemns &quot;harassment&quot; after second doping charge imposedSimona Halep with coach Patrick MouratoglouSimona Halep's coach Patrick Mouratoglou reshared the Romanian's statement on social media and condemned the &quot;harassment&quot; meted out to her.&quot;Simona's statement on the harassment she is victim of. This situation is going way past the limits of the acceptable,&quot; he tweeted.Patrick Mouratoglou@pmouratoglouSimona’s statement on the harassement she is victim of. This situation is going way past the limits of the acceptable78262Simona’s statement on the harassement she is victim of. This situation is going way past the limits of the acceptable https://t.co/bB2fExSovuSimona Halep is set to appear before an independent tribunal for a hearing, currently scheduled on May 28.

No Results Found