Romanian tennis player Simona Halep said she is looking forward to her return to competition after her suspension for anti-doping violations was reduced from four years to nine months.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Tuesday reduced Halep's suspension for anti-doping violations and irregularities in her biological passport.
That nine-month suspension period expired last July, so the 32-year-old two-time Grand Slam champion can immediately return to tennis.
Halep said that these trials made her more resilient, and that the CAS verdict was the key moment that clarified everything.
"In the midst of this challenging journey, my unwavering faith in the integrity of truth and the principles of justice has been my beacon. I look forward and eager to turn this page and rejoin the competitions with new strength and renewed spirit," Halep said on social media.
After a three-day hearing in early February, the CAS determined that the doping results were positive because the illegal substance "entered her body by consuming a contaminated supplement", and that the anomalies in her biological passport could be linked to the "contaminated supplement".
In September, the International Tennis Integrity Agency suspended the two-time Grand Slam champion for four years for two separate anti-doping violations.
At the US Open in 2022, Halep tested positive for a banned substance that stimulates the production of red blood cells, and then last May she was charged with irregularities in her biological passport. The four-year suspension would expire in October 2026.
In 2018, Halep won the title at Roland Garros, and a year later at Wimbledon. The Romanian won 24 singles titles and earned more than $40 million in tournament prize money. She was first on the WTA list in 2017 and 2018.
She is currently unranked on the WTA list due to an enforced absence and will initially need wild cards to return to tournaments.
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