The International Tennis Integrity Agency suspended two-time Grand Slam winner Simona Halep for four years on Tuesday for two different anti-doping code infractions.
Halep, 31, has been disqualified indefinitely after testing positive for the prohibited blood-booster Roxadustat during the US Open last year.
Halep said she will appeal the judgement to sport’s top court because she “refused to accept” it.
“I’m continuing to train and will do everything in my power to clear my name of these false allegations and return to the court,” Halep said in a statement. “I intend to appeal this decision to The Court of Arbitration for Sport, and I intend to pursue all legal remedies against the supplement company in question.”
Her ban is effective until October 6, 2026.
In 2017, Halep topped the WTA rankings. She won Wimbledon in 2019, defeating Serena Williams in the final, a year after winning the French Open.
In the European Union, the medicine Roxadustat is licenced for medical use to treat the symptoms of anaemia induced by chronic kidney failure. It encourages the body to create more of the natural hormone erythropoietin, or EPO, which has long been a doping substance favoured by cyclists and distance runners, according to the EU’s pharmaceuticals regulator.
In May, Halep was charged with a second doping offence for anomalies in her athlete biological passport. The charge was “separate from and in addition to” the 2022 interim ban.
The allegation “was based on an assessment” of Halep’s biological passport profile by an expert panel, according to the ITIA in May. Such passports give a baseline reading of chemicals in an athlete’s body and are thought to aid in the detection of doping.
Halep said on social media at the time that she had “lived the worst nightmare I have ever gone through in my life” since being charged by the ITIA.
The US Tennis Association declared in August that Halep “was automatically withdrawn” from the US Open qualifying draw. A player is unable to participate in or attend any sanctioned tournaments while under provisional suspension.
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