“The hardest game of my life begins: the fight for the truth”
MADRID, 21 Oct. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) has confirmed this Friday the provisional suspension of the Romanian tennis player Simona Halep after allegedly testing positive for Roxadustat, a prohibited substance, during the dispute of the last US Open, the last ‘Grand Slam’ of the season , a sanction that the double winner of ‘Grand Slam’ will try to appeal to repair his “honor”.
Halep, 31 years old and current number nine in the world, provided a sample for an anti-doping control during August of this year, while playing the American ‘great’. According to the ITIA, the A sample contained FG-4592 (Roxadustat), a prohibited substance included in the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Prohibited Substances List.
“Adverse analytical results for unspecified substances entail a mandatory provisional suspension,” reported the agency, which also explained that the tennis player requested the analysis of the B sample, which confirmed the finding of the A sample.
“While provisionally suspended, the tennis player is not eligible to compete or attend any tennis tournament organized by the governing bodies of the sport,” said the ITIA, responsible for the management and administration of the anti-doping tests of the International Tennis Federation ( ITF).
After the news became official, Halep denied having knowingly administered any illegal substance and announced that she will seek to repair her “honor”. “Today begins the toughest game of my life: the fight for the truth. I have been notified that I have tested positive for a substance called Roxadustat in an extremely low amount, which is the biggest ‘shock’ of my life,” he said.
“Throughout my entire career, the idea of ??cheating never crossed my mind, as it totally goes against all the values ??I was raised with. Faced with such an unfair situation, I feel completely confused.” and betrayed,” he added.
“I will fight to the end to prove that I never knowingly took any banned substance and I have faith that sooner or later the truth will come out. It’s not about titles or money. It’s about the honor and history of love that I have developed with tennis over the last 25 years,” he said.
