Simona Halep: Two-time Grand Slam winner criticizes ITIA after Iga Swiatek’s doping ban

Two-time Grand Slam champion Simona Halep has questioned the “enormous distinction” in how tennis doping instances are dealt with after world quantity two Iga Swiatek obtained a one-month ban.

The Worldwide Tennis Integrity Company (ITIA) introduced on Thursday that Swiatek had accepted a one-month suspension after testing constructive for the banned substance trimetazidine (TMZ).

Halep, who has been out of labor for greater than 18 months following two separate anti-doping violations, criticized the ITIA for “fully totally different approaches”.

“I cease and ask myself, why is there such an enormous distinction in remedy and judgment?” Halep posted on Instagram on Friday.

“I am unable to discover and I do not assume there generally is a cheap reply. It could possibly solely be unhealthy will from ITIA, a corporation that has executed every part potential to destroy me regardless of the proof.”

Halep was suspended in October 2022 after testing constructive for the banned substance roxadustat – an anti-anemia drug that stimulates the manufacturing of pink blood cells within the physique.

The Romanian was later banned for 4 years – a interval which was decreased to 9 months in March after he appealed to the Courtroom of Arbitration for Sport.

Halep has at all times maintained her innocence and denied that she had taken a contaminated complement.

“I misplaced two years of my work, I misplaced many sleepless nights, ideas, worries, questions with out solutions,” mentioned the previous world chief.

“How is it potential that in the identical conditions that occurred on the similar time, ITIA had fully other ways to hurt me?”

Swiatek examined constructive for the guts drug, TMZ, in an out-of-competition pattern in August 2024, when he was primary on the earth.

ITIA accepted the violation of the five-time winner was brought on by the contamination of an unauthorized managed drug melatonin, produced and offered in Poland, which Swiatek took for sleep and sleep issues.

An ITIA spokesperson instructed BBC Sport there have been “essential variations” between Halep’s case and Swiatek’s.

“No two instances are the identical, they typically contain totally different circumstances, and direct comparisons aren’t at all times useful,” ITIA mentioned.

“The contaminated product in Ms. Swiatek’s case was a managed substance, not a complement.”

Swiatek’s suspension comes after males’s world primary Jannik Sinner examined constructive for clostebol in March.

Though the ITIA accepted that “no mistake or negligence” was connected to the 23-year-old Italian, the World Anti-Doping Company (Wada) offered a grievance to Cas.

The ITIA mentioned: “We cope with every case based mostly on the details and proof, not the participant’s title, standing or nationality. If a banned substance is present in a participant’s system, we examine it completely.

“We urge gamers to be very cautious when taking dietary supplements and we’re at all times joyful to reply any questions they might have.”