Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, the former world number one in women’s tennis, is now suing Quantum Nutrition – the Canadian company that produced a nutritional supplement that she believes led to her being handed the four-year ban.
Halep was provisionally suspended in October 2022 and is currently 32 years old.
The tennis player is asking for more than USD 10 million in damages from Quantum Nutrition, which operates as Schinoussa Superfoods, after testing positive at the 2022 U.S. Open for Roxadustat, a drug often used by people with anemia. The drug increases hemoglobin and the production of red blood cells, building endurance, points out Romania Insider. It is, of course, banned in the world of sports.
Halep says she used Schinoussa supplements during the 2022 Flushing Meadows tournament, and that the Keto MCT she took had been contaminated with Roxadustat, which was not disclosed on the label.
Simona Halep always maintained that she has never used any banned substances and that Quantum’s negligence and false claims that its supplement was legal have harmed her career. The trail took place in a New York state court in Manhattan.
Quantum, based in Scarborough, Ontario, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The founder eventually told a Canadian newspaper that the company was being scapegoated, according to Reuters.
Simona Halep challenged the four-year ban for doping violations at the Court of Arbitration for Sport. The hearing in her case took place last week in Lausanne.
If the suspension remains, the athlete will not be allowed to play professional tennis until October 6, 2026.
Furthermore, Halep is also calling into question the veracity of the test results themselves.
