Simona Halep, the No. 9 ranked player in the WTA rankings, is currently serving a provisional suspension after testing positive for Roxadustat at the US Open. Halep's coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, has now vowed to help prove her innocence.
The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) announced Halep's suspension earlier in October after both samples she provided at the US Open came back positive for Roxadustat, which is a prohibited substance. That result required a provisional suspension, but Halep denied any wrongdoing.
In a statement posted to social media, Mouratoglou called Halep a "model of integrity." He also noted that he has "never faced a situation like this" in his three decades of working alongside professional athletes.
"Knowing Simona well, I can assure that she is a model of integrity," Mouratoglou wrote. "She is totally against any form of doping, and I know it has never crossed her mind to take any forbidden substance. I trust her 100%. Together, we will fight to prove the truth."
Immediately following the suspension, Halep released a statement of her own in which she denied knowingly taking any prohibited substance. She said she would work tirelessly to prove that she is innocent.
"I will fight until the end to prove that I never knowingly took any prohibited substance, and I have faith that sooner or later, the truth will come out," Halep said in her statement. "It's not about the titles or the money. It's about honor, and the love story I have developed with the game of tennis over the last 25 years."
Halep, 31, is a former world No. 1 who has won the French Open and Wimbledon. In 2022, Halep has won two singles titles, including the National Bank Open in Canada in August.
