Former tennis world No.1 Halep ready to make comeback following reduced doping ban

Ever since Simona Halep received her suspension last September for testing positive for roxadustat, an anti-anaemia drug that stimulates red blood cell production, she has consistently maintained her innocence.  

As a former world No.1 and two-time Grand Slam champion, Halep was unwilling to accept the punishment that would have kept her away from the tennis courts until October 6, 2026. It was one of the most high-profile doping bans in the history of tennis and could have spelled the end of Halep's illustrious career.  

Undeterred, the tenacious 32-year-old decided to appeal the decision, vowing to never give up. Finally, after facing numerous setbacks, she received the uplifting news on Tuesday that her four-year ban had been reduced to just nine months by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). The ruling concluded that Halep was not guilty of intentional doping. This favorable outcome allows her to resume her tennis career immediately, bringing a sense of relief and renewed hope for the talented player.

After Halep's case was heard in Lausanne last month, the CAS panel unanimously decided to reduce her period of ineligibility to nine months. Just as she had argued in her original case, Halep maintained that the anti-doping violation was unintentional and that the presence of roxadustat in her system was due to the consumption of a contaminated supplement called Keto MCT.  

While the initial decision had determined that the Keto MCT sample did not fully account for the concentration of roxadustat in her blood, the CAS panel concluded that although Halep had not exercised sufficient caution with the Keto MCT supplement, her anti-doping violations were not intentional, and she bore no significant fault.

Halep, who triumphed at the 2018 French Open and Wimbledon in 2019, has been absent from competitive play since the U.S. Open in August 2022 due to a failed doping test at Flushing Meadows. As a result, she is currently unranked and will initially rely on wildcards to participate in WTA tournaments. Nevertheless, the good news is that she is now free to make a comeback. 

"This ordeal has been a testament to resilience," Halep said on Instagram. "The triumph of truth is a bittersweet vindication that, albeit delayed, is immensely gratifying... In the midst of this challenging journey, my unwavering belief in the integrity of the truth and in the principles of justice has been my beacon.

"Looking forward, I am eager to turn this page and rejoin the tour with renewed vigor and an invigorated spirit."