“Simona Halep didn't do any of what's been suggested in that report" - Darren Cahill shows support to Romanian amid doping ban

Former professional tennis player Darren Cahill has expressed his support for Simona Halep in the face of a four-year doping ban, firmly stating that the Romanian athlete is innocent of the allegations presented in the report.

In response to a tweet on Wednesday, he remarked that Simona didn't engage in any of the activities that have been insinuated in the report. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has consistently been the appropriate venue for adjudicating this case, he said.

“Simona didn’t do any of what’s been suggested in that report. CAS has always been the proper place to hear this case,” Darren Cahill stated.

On Tuesday, September 12, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) officially declared that Simona Halep would be suspended due to two separate violations of anti-doping regulations.

The initial violation, as stated by ITIA, pertained to Halep's positive test for the prohibited substance roxadustat, a substance explicitly listed on the 2022 World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Prohibited List, during the previous year's US Open . The second charge was linked to discrepancies discovered in Halep's Athlete Biological Passport (ABP), which is designed to monitor specific biological variables of an athlete over time.

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In the aftermath of the suspension, Simona Halep's coach Patrick Mouratoglou took to Twitter to voice his discontentment. He staunchly defended Simona's professionalism and integrity, adamantly stating that she has never resorted to banned substances. He expressed his astonishment at the tribunal's ruling, having been present throughout the two-day hearing alongside her.

"I know Simona's integrity and I have no doubt that she has never taken any banned substance. I sat through the entire two days of hearing with her and I CANNOT believe that the Tribunal has reached that decision based on the evidence and arguments that I heard," he said.

He further remarked that the proceedings and the manner in which the ITIA has handled the two-time Grand Slam champion's case were deeply unfair and deemed it unacceptable. He expressed his optimism that justice will prevail for her at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

"The process and the ITIA have been totally unfair to Simona and it is totally unacceptable. I hope that Simona will prevail at CAS which is the only Tribunal that is not controlled by the ITIA," Mouratoglou said.