Angry Simona Halep slates ‘big difference’ in handling of tennis doping cases amid Iga Swiatek ban

Simona Halep has deed retired astatine what she claims is simply a “big difference” betwixt the measurement doping cases are handled successful tennis.

It was revealed connected Thursday that world No 2 Iga Swiatek had been banned for 1 period – the mostly of it served secretly arsenic a provisional suspension – aft testing affirmative for the angina supplier trimetazidine.

The International Tennis Integrity Agency accepted it was caused by contamination of the regulated non-prescription medicine melatonin, which Swiatek took for pitchy lag and slumber issues.

The news came only 3 months aft men’s world No 1 Jannik Sinner was cleared of immoderate responsibility over 2 affirmative tests successful March, pinch those failures besides not announced astatine the time.

That led to accusations of a two-tier strategy wrong the athletics – powerfully refuted by tennis authorities – and Halep has now questioned the differences pinch her ain case.

The erstwhile Wimbledon champion was banned for 4 years in September 2023, conscionable complete a twelvemonth aft she tested affirmative for roxadustat, a supplier utilized to dainty anaemia, arsenic good arsenic irregularities successful her humor passport.

The suspension was reduced to 9 months by the Court of Arbitration for Sport successful March, by which constituent she had already been retired of the crippled for astir a twelvemonth and a half, aft they accepted her mentation of a contaminated supplement.

Writing connected Instagram, Halep said: “I beryllium and effort to understand but it is really intolerable for maine to understand thing for illustration this.

“I beryllium and wonder, why specified a large quality successful curen and judgment? I can’t find, and I don’t deliberation location tin be, a logical answer. It tin only beryllium bad will connected the portion of ITIA, the organisation that did perfectly everything to destruct maine contempt the evidence.

“I person ever believed successful good, I person believed successful the fairness of this sport, I person believed successful kindness.

“The injustice that was done to maine was painful, is achy and possibly will ever beryllium painful. How is it imaginable that successful identical cases that happened astatine astir the aforesaid clip (of the season), ITIA has wholly different approaches, to my detriment?”

Halep, 33, returned to action successful March but has struggled pinch injury, winning conscionable 1 lucifer successful 4 tournaments.

British subordinate Tara Moore, who served a 19-month provisional suspension earlier it was accepted she bore nary responsibility for her affirmative test, besides powerfully criticised the ITIA.

“I took 19 months disconnected arsenic I had to make a “change to my team” excessively guys,” she wrote connected the societal media tract X, a reference to the logic fixed for Swiatek missing a tourney while she was provisionally suspended.

“Let’s not forget, excavation was besides contamination, and 2 different group besides tested affirmative yet ITIA are appealing my case. Why is nary 1 earnestly looking into the corruption of the organisations that govern us?”

Having already served 3 weeks arsenic a provisional suspension, Swiatek’s prohibition will extremity connected December 4, leaving her free to statesman the caller play arsenic planned.