- Former Wimbledon winner tested positive for Roxadustat
- Suspension reduced from four years to nine months
Simona Halep’s four-year doping ban has been reduced to nine months after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) ruled that Halep is not guilty of intentional doping. Halep will be allowed to immediately resume her career and return to professional tennis.
Halep, a former world No 1 and two-time grand slam champion, had received a four year ban after testing positive for roxadustat last September. The ruling marked one of the most significant doping bans in the history of tennis and the sport’s first anti-doping rule violation via the Athlete Biological Passport (ABP) programme. At 32 years old, a four-year ban likely spelt the end of Halep’s career.