Simona Halep’s suspension for a doping violation has jolted the tennis world on the fag finish of the season. The Romanian two-time Grand Slam winner had already ended her topsy-turvy season. Her pattern was discovered to have traces of the banned substance Roxadustat, however has claimed innocence and vowed to struggle “for the reality”.
Halep although is not the primary former world No 1 or multiple-time Grand Slam champion to land within the doping internet in tennis. This is a take a look at another high-profile instances:
Maria Sharapova
When the Russian known as a press convention in Los Angeles on March 7, 2016, the thrill was concerning the “R” phrase. Shockingly as a substitute, the “D” phrase cropped up. Wearing black for probably the most dramatic off-court moments in tennis historical past, the Russian star revealed she had failed a dope check on the 2016 Australian Open.
Sharapova, 28 then, stated she had been taking meldonium (also referred to as mildronate) for 10 years for her irregular heartbeat and a household historical past of diabetes. The drug was added to the World Anti-Doping Company (WADA)’s banned substances listing in January 2016, which, Sharapova claimed, neither she nor her staff was conscious of (her staff, specifcially her then agent Max Eisenbud, had skipped studying emails about it).
Sharapova’s preliminary two-year ban was diminished to fifteen months after interesting to the Court docket of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). The CAS panel dominated that the tennis star was not an “intentional doper”, including that her case “was not about an athlete who cheated”.
The five-time singles Grand Slam champion returned to the tour in April 2017 and the identical season captured her first WTA title in two years.
Andre Agassi
In his autobiography, Open, launched a lot after his retirement, the US star revealed he took crystal meth in 1997 after which lied about it to the ATP, which stored it beneath wraps.
His profession in a freefall after a string of accidents and dip in kind, Agassi took the drug in a “second of remorse, adopted by huge disappointment”, as he put it in his e-book. He then recalled receiving a name from an ATP physician who knowledgeable him about his failed drug check.
Having cooked up a narrative about his drink being spiked with the drug, Agassi was let off by the ATP, which handled issues of doping in males’s tennis by itself again then.
The physique hushed up the case, and it remained so until Agassi selected to return clear in his e-book. His revelations sparked criticism of the ATP by the World Anti-Doping Company, WADA, and the Worldwide Tennis Federation.
Martina Hingis
The Swiss star’s comeback from her first retirement was halted abruptly when she examined optimistic for a metabolite of cocaine at Wimbledon in 2007. “Pissed off and offended”, Hingis stated at a press convention that she was “one hundred pc harmless”, calling the accusations “so horrendous, so monstrous”. She nevertheless stated she would retire once more as a result of she didn’t want to spend a prolonged interval of authorized course of.
In January 2008, Hingis was banned for 2 years after an unbiased panel discovered no benefit in her defence, terming the case “easy and simple”. Hingis didn’t enchantment the decision. The Swiss star although made a second comeback in 2013 and scaled the No 1 rating in doubles.
Richard Gasquet
The French participant had his potential one-year ban diminished to two-and-a-half months after efficiently convincing a panel that he had been inadvertently ingested cocaine after kissing a lady in a nightclub. He examined optimistic in March 2009 after pulling out of a match in Florida with shoulder damage. He then visited a nightclub in Miami, the place he stated he kissed the girl named Pamela. The CAS panel famous that Gasquet was “on the stability of likelihood, contaminated with cocaine by Pamela”. It absolved him of direct guilt.
A big issue within the verdict was the amount of the drug present in his urine pattern, which “was so small that if he had been examined only some hours later, his check end result can be prone to have been unfavourable,” the tribunal famous. Gasquet was free to compete on the Tour instantly after the decision.
Wayne Odesnik
In maybe probably the most stringent doping suspension in skilled tennis, the American was banned for 15 years in March 2015 for a second doping offence. He was first banned in 2010 after pleading responsible to importing human development hormone into Australia. His suspension was diminished from two years to at least one by the ITF for cooperating with investigations.
They had been in no temper for leniency the second time when he examined optimistic for a number of banned substances, together with steroids, in 2015, banning him until 2030. This was additionally a case the place a number of high stars spoke out in favour of the suspension. Rafael Nadal stated the participant did not need to be on Tour if he is been caught twice whereas Andy Murray tweeted, “Bye bye Wayne… Good riddance.”