Two-time Grand Slam champion Simona Halep has been charged with a second doping offence over “irregularities” in her athlete biological passport.
The former world No 1 and Wimbledon champion has been provisionally suspended since October last year after failing a drug at the 2022 US Open.
The new charge “is separate and in addition to” that suspension, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) said.
Halep has denied any doping allegations, saying she is living the “worst nightmare” of her life and hasn’t “ever even thought of taking an illicit substance”.
The integrity agency’s said the new charge “was based on an assessment” of Halep’s biological passport profile by an expert panel.
The passports provide a reading of substances in an athlete’s body and are considered a way to help chart doping.
Nicole Sapstead, the ITIA’s senior director for anti-doping, said in a statement: “We understand that today’s announcement adds complexity to an already high-profile situation.
“From the outset of this process – and indeed any other at the ITIA – we have remained committed to engaging with Ms. Halep in an empathetic, efficient, and timely manner.”
‘Worst nightmare’
Halep, a 31-year-old Romanian, wrote Friday: “Since October 7, when I got charged by the ITIA, for a suspicion of doping, I have lived the worst nightmare I have ever gone through in my life.”
She said her “name been soiled in the worst possible way” and claimed the ITIA is determined “to prove my guilt while I haven’t EVER even thought of taking any illicit substance”.
Halep’s post says she was a “victim of contamination”.
“Once again, all my life I have been totally against any sort of cheating. It doesn’t align with my values,” she said.
Halep has previously lamented the delay in her case.
On Friday, she said: “I look forward to finally being able to present my case at my hearing that is scheduled at the end of May.”
Halep reached No 1 in the WTA rankings in 2017.
She won the French Open in 2018 and Wimbledon in 2019, beating 23-time major champion Serena Williams in the final.
