Two-time Grand Slam champion Simona Halep, who was facing a four-year ban for doping, got some good news when the Court of Arbitration for Sport reduced her ban to nine months.
This decision means that the Romanian former world number one can now return to tennis immediately. Halep, who feared that her career would be over if the original ban was upheld, is now free to compete again.
The ruling stated that Halep had not intentionally taken roxadustat, an anti-anaemia drug, and that the substance entered her body through a contaminated supplement she had used before the 2022 US Open.
Despite her positive test for roxadustat and irregularities in her athlete biological passport, Halep maintained her innocence throughout the process.
Having earned £32.2m in career prize money, Halep can now make her comeback on the WTA Tour after serving the nine-month ban, which was backdated.
The charges against her were brought by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) in October 2022, leading to her absence from competition since then. The ban officially ended on 6 July 2023, allowing Halep to return to the sport she loves.
