Tennis: Former world number one Halep handed doping charge

Former world number one Simona Halep has been charged with a second breach of anti-doping laws, the International Tennis Integrity Autority (ITIA) announced on Friday.

Halep, a two-time grand slam winner, has been provisionally suspended since October 2022 after returning a postive test for Roxadustat, a banned substance, at the 2022 US Open.

Halep, who was Wimbledon champion in 2019, said last October that “cheating had never crossed her mind” and claims the failed test was down to a “contaminated” supplement.

In April, Halep spoke for the first time since her suspension, saying she was frustrated with the time it was taking for the case to be resolved but the ITIA said “the process is ongoing”.

The ITIA’s issued a press statement, confirming that the 31-year-old Romanian “has been charged with a further and separate breach of the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme (TADP), relating to irregularities in her Athlete Biological Passport (ABP).”