The Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne reduced the suspension of the Romanian from 4 years to only 9 months. The victory achieved was possible because the problem of “the biological passport“. And it was deemed that “Simo” was indeed the victim of Roxadustat contamination.
Ilie Năstase is confident that Simona Halep can shine again
*Ilie Năstase for Gazeta Sporturilor: She is very ambitious and now she can play quietly, relaxed, especially since she demonstrated that she did not knowingly take anything illegal. Unfortunately, Simona stayed away from the field almost twice as much as it was decided at TAS. I think the lawyers should have insisted more, tried faster, but now they have recovered, they deserve congratulations. She trained during this time, she did not sit for nothing, and tennis does not look in a year and a half. Some get injured and stay that long, but they come back. He's missing matches, but now he's sure to get wild cards to a lot of tournaments. At Grand Slams it is more difficult, but it is possible. Now he has nothing left to prove, he was world number 1.
*Bogdan Stoica, Simona's lawyer, for Digi Sport: I believed in her from the beginning, because I know her. From the hair tests, which are very accurate, I had the technical certainty of her innocence. If he had taken a single pill of Roxadustat, the hair test values would have been 10,000 times higher. Mind you, 10,000 times higher than Simona's results.
*Toni Iuruc, Simona's ex-husband, for Fanatik: This is very good news, but please understand that I would not like to comment on Ms. Halep's professional life. As I stated two years ago, I think it is a normal decision. God help! I'm happy for her and that's all. But more than that, please understand, I have nothing to say. Yes, it's normal! (no – suspension reduction).
*Virginia Ruzici, Simona's former manager, for gsp.ro: For me it is a day, I could say, euphoric. I am incredibly happy for Simona. By receiving these 9 months, she will be able to quickly return to the tennis court and I am convinced that she will play extremely well, maybe even without any pressure. Simona suffered enormously during this period and I don't think anyone would have wanted to be in her place. That's great news, we're glad she'll be able to compete again in tournaments, capable of winning big titles.
