“Four years would be a lot for my age. It would be catastrophic if it were four years. I don’t know how I will handle it but I think it would probably be the end of my career,” he points out at 32 year old after a long period of silence, in an interview with Euronews.
He was at the top, he touched glory, reaching world number one on October 9, 2017. After three consecutive losses in Grand Slam finals, the eternal contender became a champion by dominating Roland Garros 2018 and Wimbledon 2019.
From luxury to hell he took a step when he tested positive for an anti-doping test, which US Open 2022. He has not competed since his heavy loss against the Ukrainian Daria Snigur.
On his body was found Roxadustat, a substance that stimulates the production of EPO. The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) He also punished the irregularities found in his biological passport. A panel of three experts concluded that this was further evidence of “probable doping.”
Double violation of the regulations, the ITIA sentenced to four years of suspension, although it accepted “the argument that he took a contaminated supplement, but determined that the amount consumed could not result in the concentration of Roxadustat found in positive sample A,” the official statement said.
“It hurts because I know that I didn’t do anything wrong, that I’m clean. I’ve always been against doping. Emotionally it’s very hard,” confessed the Romanian. Simona Halep on Euronews.
The Court of Arbitration for Sports (TAS), which has set the dates of February 7 to 9 to study the tennis player’s appeal, is pending.
Last November, his former coach, Frenchman Patrick Mouratoglou, took responsibility for the positive results of the year he was his student. “We bought collagen, and there was no way to know that it was contaminated, but I feel responsible because my team, especially me, provided it,” explained the coach, with Simona Halep breaking all the relation, to whom he did not speak for a long time. month, emphasis on Romanian.
The penalty will not expire until October 2026, unless CAS modifies the first sentence. If not, “it might be the end of my career,” Halep feared.
Although he maintains hope for a redemption that would allow him to participate in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. “I know there are not many possibilities, but Paris is my dream city. I won the junior, that’s where it all started, and it will be incredible to return to Roland Garros “Although I want to go back to a track, whatever this,” he said.
Source: La Verdad
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