Simona Halep went through much stress and anxiety during her doping scandal, but the Romanian insists she does not hold a grudge towards any member of her team at that time.
Halep’s suspension for doping was one of the most high-profile stories in tennis in recent years. Fans were left stunned when the news first broke about Halep being accused of taking a banned substance.
In October 2022, it was announced that the two-time Grand Slam champion had tested positive for roxadustat. The abnormalities were found on Halep’s biological passport.
On 12 September 2023, Halep’s ban was upheld, leading to her receiving a four-year suspension from the sport. This caused devastation and shock among her fans, who were sure she would be cleared or found to have little to no negligence.
However, Halep appealed the ban at the Court of Arbitration for Sport on 7 February 2024. Although the court ruled Halep bore some fault or negligence, the suspension was reduced to 11 months. The court believed the Romanian’s positive test was likely caused by a contamination of a supplement she was using.
The 32-year-old has spoken previously about the effect the ordeal had on her mental health. One of the few positive aspects was that it helped Halep escape the army-like lifestyle she had been living.
Unfortunately, the former Wimbledon champion’s return to the sport has been slowed by physical issues. Recently, Halep provided a brutal injury update that will come as a disappointment to her fans.
Halep recently did an interview with We Are Tennis, in which she reflected on many aspects of her career. The publication asked her how she forgave her team after the doping scandal.
Many believe Halep’s coach at the time, Patrick Mouratoglou, should be held accountable for what happened. But Halep explained how she can forgive and move on from the incident.
“I don’t have the furious feeling in life, in general. I don’t believe I have to punish someone that it happened. So, I just forgive, and I didn’t believe that somebody did it on purpose with the products and with the things, the team, let’s say. I didn’t believe that they did on purpose.”
Halep then said her mindset has always been not to blame anyone on her team for her difficulties, although the Romanian acknowledged that approach can also be problematic.
“So, this for me was just easier to forgive and to take what it came to me and just see the solutions of solving the problem. I don’t like, I never, also with the coaches, I never like to blame if I lose a match, I never blame the team. I take all on me. It’s not great, because sometimes is too much, too heavy for my shoulders, but this is me, and I prefer to stay like this.”
The 2018 French Open champion is also proud of the fact she did not change as a person after all the anxiety she went through, including never becoming hateful towards tennis.
“What makes me happy, after two years of what I went through, I didn’t change. My feelings didn’t change towards people and towards life. Also, people told me, some close friends told me that don’t hate tennis for this. No, I don’t hate tennis. It’s just something that happened in my life, and I have to go through.”
