Two-time Grand Slam champion Simona Halep has been banned for four years for two separate anti-doping rule violations, the International Tennis Integrity Agency said Tuesday.
Halep who has won at Wimbledon and the French Open, has been provisionally suspended since October last year after testing positive for banned blood-booster Roxadustat at the US Open last year.
Halep, who is 32 this month, said she would appeal to sport’s highest court, saying she “refused to accept” the decision.
She said she was ‘shocked’ and ‘disappointed.’
“I am continuing to train and do everything in my power to clear my name of these false allegations and return to the court,” the Romanian player said in a statement.
“I intend to appeal this decision to The Court of Arbitration for Sport and pursue all legal remedies against the supplement company in question.”
Her suspension runs until Oct. 6, 2026.
The drug Roxadustat is approved for medical use in the European Union to treat the symptoms of anemia caused by chronic kidney failure.
The EU’s medicines agency says it stimulates the body to produce more of the natural hormone erythropoietin, or EPO, which has long been a doping product favored by cyclists and distance runners.
Halep was accused of another doping offense in May for irregularities in her athlete biological passport. The charge was “separate and in addition to” the provisional suspension from 2022.
The ITIA said in May that the charge “was based on an assessment” of Halep’s biological passport profile by an expert panel. Such passports provide a baseline reading of substances in an athlete’s body and are considered a way to help chart doping.
At the time, Halep posted on social media that she has “lived the worst nightmare I have ever gone through in my life.” since she was charged with doping.
VIDEO | Suspended tennis player Simona Halep tells fans she’s innocent and hopes to be back on court
