Simona Halep recently indicated her anticipation of returning to the court soon following the conclusion of her appeal hearing at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), where she contested a four-year ban imposed by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) for doping charges stemming from the 2022 US Open.
In September 2023, the ITIA found Halep guilty of ingesting roxadustat, a banned substance, leading to her suspension from competition for four years. Maintaining her innocence, Halep pursued an appeal with the CAS, which commenced a three-day hearing on Wednesday, February 7, in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Upon the hearing’s conclusion on Friday, Halep engaged with the media in Lausanne, expressing her confidence in an imminent return to the court. “Well, it was a long hearing and what I can say is that I had the chance to show my defense.
I really believe the truth is going to come out and the day to be on court is going to be soon,” the former World No. 1 shared with reporters.
However, Halep refrained from divulging further details until an official ruling from the CAS is announced. “I cannot speak more so I have to wait for the decision and then I will be able to give more information… Hope to see you again,” she added. Subsequently, the two-time Grand Slam champion expressed gratitude on Instagram to her legal team, including Howard Jacobs and Bogdan C. Stoica, for their dedication.
“Three intense days of showing my innocence. I want to offer special thanks to Howard, Claude, and Bogdan for their tremendous work done,” she conveyed in her post.
