Simona Halep Suspended for Failing Drug Test; Former World No. 1 Denies Wrongdoing

The International Tennis Integrity Agency announced Friday that former top-ranked tennis player Simona Halep has received a provisional suspension after testing positive for a prohibited substance, Roxadustat, during the 2022 U.S. Open.

Halep is "ineligible to compete in or attend any sanctioned tennis events organized by the governing bodies of the sport" while suspended.

She released a statement on Twitter following the ITIA's announcement:

Halep suffered an upset loss to Ukrainian qualifier Daria Snigur in the first round of the U.S. Open in late August. It marked her earliest exit in a Grand Slam event since the 2018 U.S. Open.

The 31-year-old Romanian announced in mid-September she wouldn't compete for the remainder of the 2022 season while recovering from nose surgery. She'd been in contention to earn a spot in the WTA Tour Finals before the procedure.

She's No. 9 in the WTA rankings and finished with the No. 1 ranking after both the 2017 and 2018 seasons.

Halep is also a two-time major champion, having won the 2018 French Open and 2019 Wimbledon championships, and she's captured a total of 24 WTA singles titles.

Roxadustat is a medication that received initial approval in 2019 for "treatment of anaemia in patients with dialysis-dependent chronic kidney disease." It's been shown to increase endogenous erythropoietin production and hemoglobin levels while also improving iron availability.

The ITIA said the drug was found in both Halep's "A" and "B" samples taken at the U.S. Open. She was first informed of the positive test Oct. 7.

A duration for her suspension wasn't immediately announced.

The 2023 WTA Tour schedule is scheduled to begin in early January with the Brisbane International tournament. The year's first major, the Australian Open, is set to get underway Jan. 16.