Former top-ranked women’s singles player Simona Halep has been provisionally suspended after failing a drug test during the 2022 U.S. Open.
The International Tennis Integrity Agency announced the suspension on Friday, saying that Halep tested positive for Roxadustat, a prohibited substance.
Halep announced on Sept. 15 that she was ending her season and undergoing nose surgery to improve her breathing. The two-time Grand Slam champion released a statement on Friday shortly after the suspension was announced.
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“I will fight until the end to prove I never knowingly took any prohibited substance and I have faith that sooner or later, that truth will come out,” she wrote.
Under the provisional suspension, Halep is not allowed to compete in any sanctioned tennis events put together by governing bodies of the sport.
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Halep currently holds the No. 9 WTA ranking. She fell to Daria Snigur of Ukraine in the opening round of the U.S. Open in her most recent match.
