Former world number one in women’s tennis, Simona Halep, will appeal her doping conviction, as the banned substance “roxadustat” entered her body through a “contaminated” nutritional supplement.
“Roxadustat” is an anti-anemia drug and is an inhibitor that increases the endogenous production of erythropoietin and stimulates the production of hemoglobin and red blood cells.
Simona Halep was suspended from the sport following a decision by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) on October 21st. A small amount of roxadustat was found in Simona Halep’s body during a doping test she took on August 29.
A report made by the French anti-doping laboratory showed the presence of “roxadustat” in open and closed packages of dietary supplements that Simona Halep used. At the same time, the product labels do not indicate the presence of a prohibited substance in the composition. Based on the lab’s findings, Simona Halep appealed to the International Federation for an emergency hearing to overturn her punishment.
Simona Halep, 31, has a total of 24 career titles, including two this season in Melbourne and Toronto, and is currently ranked tenth in the world.
The Romanian had a nose surgery in mid-September right after the US Open because of breathing difficulties.
Simona Halep has two Grand Slam titles – from the 2018 French Open and from the 2019 Wimbledon, and in addition, for 64 weeks she was the leader in the world rankings.
