"Don't think it's fair"- Serena Williams' ex-hitting partner backs Kim Clijsters' concern about Simona Halep's team not facing doping ban consequences

Serena Williams' former hitting partner Sascha Bajin has backed Kim Clijsters' concerns about Simona Halep's team not facing the consequences of the doping ban.

At the 2022 US Open, Halep tested positive for a supplement named Roxadustat which enhances hemoglobin production in the body. The Romanian, having violated anti-doping rules, was thereupon handed a four-year ban from competitive tennis by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA).

While Simona Halep had confessed that she took the supplement as per the team's recommendation, there have been no legal charges against her team yet.

In a recent episode of the Served with Andy Roddick podcast, Clijsters discussed Halep's doping case. The Belgian expressed difficulty in comprehending the fact that only the athlete has to suffer for the whole team's fault.

"To me the biggest red flag is the team. I have a really hard time that there is no consquence for the team, that it's just the athlete," Clijsters said.

Supporting Clijsters' views, Bajin maintained that it is unfair that only players face the consequences in such cases.

"I think Kim [Clijsters] is onto something here. I share her thoughts about coaches that give players supplements. Don't think it's fair that only the players get the consequences. What you guys think?" Bajin wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

Sascha Bajin served as Serena Williams' hitting partner for eight years, following which he commenced his coaching career with Naomi Osaka in 2017. He guided Osaka to two Major titles, at the 2018 US Open and 2019 Australian Open.

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"I call it manipulating" - Kim Clijsters on Simona Halep being prompted by her team to take the supplement

Kim Clijsters at the 2023 International Tennis Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony

Kim Clijsters has called Simona Halep's team prompting her to take the supplement an act of manipulation.

During the same podcast, Clijsters maintained that she found no other words but "manipulating" to describe the situation where coaches take complete control over the female athletes they train.

"In a situation like this, for women especially, when you have coaches that take over your team where they... I mean, I call it manipulating. I don't find another word for it, for taking control of everything that happens around an athlete," Kim Clijsters said.

The four-time Grand Slam champion expressed concerns about the future of the WTA if similar incidents persist.

"I'm curious just for the future of the WTA. This can happen over and over again. We've seen it in the past where you have these coaches that come in and they take over the life of a player," the Belgian added.

Simona Halep's four-year ban implies that she will be restricted from playing competitive tennis until October 2026. However, the ban could be reduced if the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) announces a favorable verdict on her appeal.