Article by Luminița Paul – Published on Sunday, 17 May 2026, 14:43 / Updated on Sunday, 17 May 2026 14:53
The former WTA leader Simona Halep (34 years old) spoke at an event in Poznan about what she went through during the instrumentation of the doping case with Roxadustat, between 2022 and 2024, the final decision and how she managed her emotions.
Simona Halep revisited the difficult period, the emotions and stress experienced since the fall of 2022, when the first information related to the positive test for Roxadustat during the US Open was made public. The former WTA leader spoke at length about that tough experience in an interview with Eurosport Spain.
The discussion was held throughout CEE impactan event recently held in Poznan (Poland), at which the Romanian was a speaker and dedicated to some current topics, such as artificial intelligence, the green economy, cyber security, health, leadership and the future of society.
“I want the world to be left with the fact that, in a difficult period of my life, I kept fighting, I didn't give up. I knew 100% that I didn't do anything wrong, I have the courage and determination to continue until the end, including overcoming many obstacles and very complicated moments,” Halep told the quoted source.
After the independent tribunal handed down a four-year ban against the two-time Grand Slam champion on 11 September 2023, she appealed the sentence to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, and on 5 March the court in Lausanne ruled in her favour, reducing the sanction to 9 months. The decision established that that period had already expired on July 6, 2023.
Simona Halep: “Literally, anything can happen to anyone”
Simona Halep in Poznan Photo: Instagram
When asked what she learned about herself during her suspension, she indicated that life can surprise you in ways you can't anticipate and that “literally anything can happen to anyone. Honestly speaking, until that moment, I always believed, above all else, in the bright side of life. And suddenly I learned that bad things can happen even when you have done nothing wrong“.
I learned that above all, no matter what challenge you face, you need patience, confidence and strength to be able to fight for yourself and for the truth. I truly believe that every difficult situation has a solution sooner or later, especially when you know deep down that you are an honest person and you are sure of who you are and what you have done – Simona Halep
She cited the uncertainty as the most emotionally difficult thing to deal with, above the suspension and public judgment she was subjected to.
“When you know deep down that you didn't do anything malicious, but you can't control how long it will take for things to clear up, it's very difficult (…). Of course, the fact that everything happened in such a public way complicated the situation even more, but I was lucky to have good people around me who really knew me, and that helped me enormously”, emphasized the Romanian.
24Simona Halep has won WTA titles in her career, including two Grand Slams, Roland Garros 2018 and Wimbledon 2019
Simona Halep: “When I returned to the circuit, I felt a lot of sympathy”
She added that at no point did she feel the need to convince everyone of her innocence. “Those who know me, who have been close to me throughout my career and know my respect for this sport, understand who I am as a person. Then when I got back on the circuit, I felt a lot of sympathy and empathy from people in tennis“, he added.
Simona Halep vs Paula Badosa at the Miami Open, photo: Imago Images
“Players, but also people from the WTA staff, who have known me for almost 20 years, showed me that they did not doubt me. And frankly, one of the most relieved moments was when an independent court confirmed that I hadn't taken anything intentionally. At that point, it wasn't just my word anymore, it was something officially set in writing. That meant a lot to me“, she concluded.
Shortly after the TAS decision, she returned to the courts, accepting a wild card for the WTA 1000 tournament in Miami. He lost then with 6-1, 4-6, 3-6 in front of Paula Badosa, then followed a difficult period with many injuries. She signed her first victory in the WTA 125 tournament in Hong Kong, in September, against Arina Rodionova (Australia), after which she ended her career in February 2025, in Cluj-Napoca, after losing the match, 1-6, 1-6in front of Lucia Bronzetti (Italy).
She will have a special event dedicated to her retirement in June, in Cluj-Napoca, during the Sports Festival, alongside Andrei Pavel, Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils.
