"I heard many say I was manipulated, that's not true" - Simona Halep clears the air about ex-coach Patrick Mouratoglou's role in her doping suspension

Simona Halep recently batted for her former coach Patrick Mouratoglou, who took the blame last year when the Romanian was still serving her doping ban from tennis. The Romanian disclosed that the Frenchman hadn't offered her any banned substances during their brief partnership.

Halep tested positive for Roxadustat, an illegal substance that increases endurance and recovery, in September 2022. Following this, she was banned from pro tennis by the International Tennis Integrity Association (ITIA) for four years in 2023.

Patrick Mouratoglou was employed by Simona Halep when she failed her doping test in New York. He later took to his Instagram account to claim that his team had provided her with the supplement collagen, which was contaminated with Roxadustat if Halep's account is to be believed.

“There is no way to know it, but I feel responsible for what happened because it’s my team, so me basically me, who brought her this collagen," Patrick Mouratoglou said last November.

This year, the former World No. 1 successfully appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to overturn her ban, much to the delight of her fans. As she prepares to make a foray into the top rungs of the WTA Tour again, she sat down for an interview with US sports magazine Tennis earlier this week.

Simona Halep took on the subject of Patrick Mouratoglou's involvement in her doping ban during the interaction with veteran journalist Jon Wertheim. The two-time Major winner said she didn't bear any grudges against the famous coach.

She also disclosed that he hadn't coerced her to take illegal substances, which is a widely held belief in the tennis world since her doping ban saga.

"Definitely was not an intentional mistake or how should I say? That he wanted to make something wrong to me. No. And I heard many voices [say] that I was manipulated by him. That’s not true. He was my coach and I always trusted the people I work with..." Simona Halep told Jon Wertheim. "So I really believe that if you don't trust in your team, you cannot perform at your maximum level. So I trusted, I work with his academy with his people and everything was fine."

"So it was nothing that he offered me to take something or to give me something. No, everything was clear about doping, so it's nothing that he did it in purpose, nothing."

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Simona Halep has struggled with her comeback season in 2024

Simona Halep hits a forehand at the 2024 Miami Open

Simona Halep made her much-awaited return to the WTA Tour right after CAS' decision in March, taking a wildcard into the Miami Open. However, she was far from her best during her first match in more than a year, losing to Paula Badosa 6-1, 4-6, 3-6 in the first round of the WTA 1000 tournament.

This week, the Romanian also entered the 2024 edition of the Trophée Clarins — a WTA 125k event in France. She won the first set of her opener against McCartney Kessler, but unfortunately retired due to a knee injury in the second set, surrendering the match 7-5, 2-3.

The former World No. 1 is also out of the running to participate at this year's French Open. The 2018 champion didn't receive wildcards for either the main draw or the qualifying draw in Paris. Since she is placed at a lowly 1149 in the women's singles rankings, she isn't in the direct entry cut for the claycourt Major as well.