Double standards in tennis, Halep is outraged

There are institutions that manage to amaze with the lack of coherence shown when deciding to take action in similar cases. The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) has managed to provide an example of how things should not be done. Simona Halep noted, in a message posted on social media, after ITIA announced that Iga Swiatek accepted a one-month suspension for testing positive for a banned substance following a contamination, that she does not understand why her case and that of the Polish player, identical, were treated so differently. Halep pointed out: "I sit and try to understand but it is really impossible for me to understand this. I sit and wonder, why such a big difference in treatment and judgment? I do not find and I do not believe that there may be a logical answer. It can only be ill will on the part of ITIA, the organization that did absolutely everything to destroy me despite the evidence. They wanted very badly to destroy the last years of my career, they wanted something that I could never have imagined could be desired".

• "A painful injustice"

Halep specified that the injustice done to her will always be painful: "I have always believed in good, I have believed in the fairness of this sport, I have believed in kindness. It was painful, it is painful and maybe it will always be painful the injustice done to me. How is it possible that in identical cases that happened at about the same time, ITIA has completely different approaches to my detriment. How could I accept that the WTA and the players' council did not want to give me back the ranking I deserve?! I lost two years of my career, I lost many nights in which I could not sleep, thoughts, anxiety, unanswered questions... but I won justice. It turned out that it was a contamination and that the biological passport was a pure invention. And I won something else, my soul remained clean!! I feel disappointment, I feel sadness, I feel frustration but I do not feel malice even now. I am grateful for the support and unconditional love of those who were with me every day. Thank you! In all the malice, I also had love because those who offered me love in those moments truly knew me! Perhaps this is the greatest victory! As we well know, every morning the sun rises for everyone, but it is good for it to rise finding you with a reconciled soul! And that's how I am, at peace and proud of who I am!".

• Năstase reacts

Former tennis great Ilie Năstase stated regarding this topic: "Well, because she's from Poland, that's why she only got a month. They don't give up, they're not suckers like us. That's why. That's the difference. We're the third world, Poland is in the good world. She must have said it wasn't intentional, right? But did she get it right? It did her good. It's ugly. Halep should get two years in the first instance, and the Polish woman one month."

• WTA supports Polish player

The WTA has released an official statement acknowledging the ITIA's decision to suspend Polish player Iga Swiatek and announcing its support for the former world number one: "The WTA acknowledges the decision of the International Tennis Integrity Association (ITIA) - which administers the Tennis Anti-Doping Program (TADP) - to impose a one-month suspension on Poland's Iga Swiatek, following the identification of a contaminated regulated medicine (melatonin) as the source of her positive test for the prohibited substance Trimetazidine. The WTA fully supports Iga during this difficult time. Iga has consistently demonstrated strong commitment, fair play and support for the principles of clean sport, and this unfortunate incident highlights the challenges athletes face in the use of medicines and supplements. The WTA remains steadfast in its support for clean sport and rigorous procedures that protect the integrity of competition. We also emphasize that athletes must take every precaution to verify the safety and compliance of all products they use, as even unintentional exposure to prohibited substances can have significant consequences. We will continue to work closely with our athletes to provide education and resources that enable athletes to make informed decisions and maintain the highest standards of integrity in our sport."

The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) announced on Thursday that Polish Iga ¦wi±tek, ranked 2nd in the WTA rankings, has accepted a one-month suspension under the Tennis Anti-Doping Program after testing positive for the banned substance trimetazidine (TMZ), the sample being taken out of competition in August 2024. The ITIA accepted that the positive test was caused by contamination with a regulated over-the-counter drug (melatonin), manufactured and sold in Poland, which the player had taken for jet lag and sleep problems, and that the violation was therefore not intentional. Simona Halep was suspended in October 2022 after testing positive for roxadustat - a banned drug that stimulates red blood cell production - at that year's US Open. The player was also accused of another rule violation last year, due to irregularities in her athlete biological passport, a method designed to monitor various blood parameters over time to detect potential doping. Halep, who strongly denied the allegations and explained that it was a matter of contamination of a supplement, was allowed to return to play after the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne ruled in March 2024 that her suspension should be reduced to nine months, a period she had already served and which expired on July 6, 2023.