"25 years of my career destroyed" - Simona Halep laments 'paying the price' for former coach Patrick Mouratoglou's mistake in doping case

Simona Halep, who is in the middle of a controversial doping case, recently said she was paying the price for a mistake by her former coach Patrick Mouratogolou.

Halep tested positive for Roxadustat, a medication that enhances the production of hemoglobin, at the 2022 US Open. The Romanian was subsequently handed a four-year ban by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) for violating anti-doping rules.

In a recent interview with Paris Match, Halep asserted her innocence in the doping saga. The former World No. 1 said she had taken a food supplement as per her team's recommendation, without any knowledge of it being contaminated with the performance-enhancement drug.

"My team recommended that I take a food supplement, collagen. I followed their advice and it turned out that the collagen was contaminated with roxadustat," Halep said.

Moratoglou took complete responsibility for the situation last month. While Halep accepted the Frenchman's apology, she expressed frustration at having to suffer the consequences of someone else's mistake.

"I'm sure it wasn't done intentionally and I'm grateful he admits the mistake was his and his team's. Yes, they are the ones who gave me this food supplement. And for this error – their error – I am the only one to pay the high price: 25 years of career destroyed," the Romanian stated.

Halep's four-year ban will expire in October 2026. She has filed an appeal with the Court of Arbitration (CAS) in an attempt to reduce the ban period.

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Simona Halep confirms termination of partnership with Patrick Mouratoglou amid doping ban

Simona Halep at the 2022 US Open

Simona Halep recently confirmed the termination of her partnership with Patrick Mouratoglou.

Following her split with Darren Cahill in September 2021, Halep appointed Mouratoglou in April 2022 as her full-time coach. The Romanian enjoyed a decent spell under the Frenchman's guidance, including a title run at the 2022 Canadian Open.

However, in the wake of the developments surrounding the doping case, Halep has announced she is no longer working with the former Serena Williams coach.

During the same interview, Halep said she had stopped training at the Frenchman's academy several months ago, and that she no longer keeps contact with him.

"We have not been in direct contact for several months now and I have not trained at the Mouratoglou Academy since last year. We no longer work together," Halep said.