Suspended four years for doping following a positive test during the 2022 US Open, Simona Halep returned this Friday in an interview for Euronews on the statements of her former coach Patrick Mouratoglou, who admitted in early November to having given her the doping substance . The former world number 1 would have liked him to make it known before, even though she has been away from the courts for more than a year.
“I know I’m clean.” In a long interview given to Euronews this Friday, Simona Halep looked back on her year away from the courts due to her suspension for doping. The former world tennis number 1 took the opportunity to settle scores with Patrick Mouratoglou and his staff, who admitted in early November to having given her the collagen which led to her sanction.
“It’s true that he made this statement, but I would have liked him to do it a little earlier, annoys Simona Halep. I stopped working with the academy for a while now. When I found myself in this situation, it was difficult to deal with because I have always trusted my teams, previous teams and everyone I work with, because I felt like by doing confidence, we had more chances to give the best of ourselves.”
At the beginning of November, Patrick Mouratoglou declared: “I feel responsible for what happened because it was my team, so basically me, who brought him (Simona) this collagen.” A betrayal for the Romanian, who reveals: “My trust is a bit broken at the moment. And in the future, I don’t know how it will happen, if I will be able to trust again. And I probably have to learn, because That’s my principle in life, if you hire someone and you work with that person, you have to trust them.”
“This will probably be the end of my career”
The former world number 1 will have the opportunity to defend herself one last time before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) from February 7 to 9, 2024. And she recognizes that if her 4-year suspension is confirmed, this could signal the end of her career: “Four years is a long time, for my age anyway. And for an athlete who did this every day for 25 years and who devoted her life to tennis and sport. (…) It will probably be the end of my career, yes. And for something that I did not do and which is not my fault, it is even more catastrophic.”
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2023-12-16 07:35:55
#Halep #charges #Mouratoglou #suspension #doping
