"Don't believe ITIA looked for the truth" - Patrick Mouratoglou calls out agency for 'destroying' Simona Halep's career with doping ban

Patrick Mouratoglou, Simona Halep's coach, has come to her defense and criticized the agency for what he sees as a damaging doping ban. He expressed doubt about whether the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) made a thorough effort to uncover the truth.

The ITIA has officially announced that Simona Halep, a two-time Grand Slam champion, is facing suspension due to two separate violations of anti-doping rules. This decision was confirmed on Tuesday.

After the announcement, her French coach took to his Twitter account to express his dissatisfaction with the ban.

He expressed his lack of belief in the ITIA's pursuit of the truth in Halep's case and their treatment of her, deeming it unacceptable. He hopes that the Women's Tennis Association (WTA), Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), and the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA) will make every effort to reform a system that is unfairly damaging the careers of innocent players.

"I do not believe that the ITIA looked for the truth in Simona's case, and I do not believe that they treated her in way that is acceptable. I hope that the WTA, ATP and PTPA will do their best to change a system that is destroying careers of innocent players." Patrick Mouratoglou said.

He has strongly disapproved of the ITIA's decision regarding the Romanian player's case, finding it incredibly shocking. Throughout the year, he has been dismayed by the organization's methods and conduct, which should ideally prioritize fair treatment of players and truth-seeking.

"I cannot believe the decision that the ITIA has taken today in the case of Simona. I am extremely shocked and I have been during this whole year by the methods and the behavior of an organization that is supposed to treat the players fairly and try to establish the truth" he stated

Patrick Mouratoglou attests to Simona Halep's professionalism and integrity

National Bank Open Toronto - Day 9

Simona Halep held the world No. 1 ranking for an impressive 64 weeks between 2017 and 2019. Additionally, she currently occupies the third position on the all-time prize money list, having earned over $40 million in her career, with only Serena Williams and Venus Williams surpassing her in this regard.

Following the ban, Halep's coach Mouratoglou expressed his dissatisfaction and vouched for her professionalism in a Twitter post on Tuesday.

He firmly batted for Halep's integrity, asserting that she has never used banned substances. He also expressed astonishment at the Tribunal's decision after attending the entire two-day hearing with her.

"I know Simona's integrity and I have no doubt that she has never taken any banned substance.

I sat through the entire two days of hearing with her and I CANNOT believe that the Tribunal has reached that decision based on the evidence and arguments that I heard." He said

He added that the process and ITIA's treatment of Halep have been highly unfair and unacceptable. He hopes that she'll find justice at the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS).

"The process and the ITIA have been totally unfair to Simona and it is totally unacceptable.

I hope that Simona will prevail at CAS which is the only Tribunal that is not controlled by the ITIA." Mouratoglou said

Simona Halep's most recent match took place in the first round of the US Open 2022, where she faced a 21-year-old Ukrainian, Daria Signur, and was defeated with a score of 2-6, 6-0, 4-6.