"I lost my sleep again" - Simona Halep discloses impact of Iga Swiatek and Jannik Sinner's doping test cases

Simona Halep this week opened up about how the authorities' handling of Iga Swiatek and Jannik Sinner's doping cases has impacted her. Halep had tested positive for the banned substance roxadustat in 2023. Meanwhile, Swiatek and Sinner tested positive in 2024 for trimetazidine and clostebol, respectively.

Following her positive test, Halep received a four-year suspension from the International Tennis Integrity Agency. However, after appealing to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, her ban was overturned, and her suspension was reduced to nine months.

In an interview with The Telegraph, Simona Halep expressed her frustration with the handling of Swiatek and Sinner's cases. She said it had caused her "big pain." Halep said,

“Big pain, big pain. I felt like they [the ITIA] were unfair to me before, but now it’s even more. I was so, so upset and so sad when I saw the situation. It’s just unacceptable, from my point of view.”

The former World No.1 also mentioned that she lost sleep over the situation after Swiatek and Sinner escaped the doping scandal relatively unscathed. She said,

“Yeah, I lost my sleep again. I lost it for the two years during the process [of contesting her own doping ban]. Then I got it back. And now, after [what happened], for a few days, yeah, I lost it again. All the negative thinking, negative thoughts, it’s not easy to handle.”

After Jannik Sinner tested positive for clostebol twice in March 2024, an independent tribunal found that he bore "No Fault or Negligence" for the Anti-Doping Rule Violations. As a result, he did not face any suspension.

Iga Swiatek's case, meanwhile, involved contamination from a melatonin medication which resulted in a positive test for trimetazidine in August. She was provisionally suspended in September but, after an appeal was found to have "No Significant Fault or Negligence" although she still received a one-month suspension.

---

Simona Halep on how her doping suspension impacted her: “I didn’t go out much, I avoided people”

Simona Halep speaking to the press [Source: Getty]

In the aforementioned interview, Simona Halep also said that following her suspension, she chose to stay indoors in her home in Romania. She said she did so to avoid unwanted inquiries.

Halep said,

“I didn’t go out much. I avoided people a little bit, but not because I felt shame. I always knew that I’m innocent and I’m clean, so I had my head up. I used to speak to my brother all the nights I didn’t sleep, texting and talking.”

Halep also mentioned that during this period, she lost several of her friends.

“And my parents, of course, but you cannot say to your parents all the feelings, because they suffer. And I had some friends – few, few friends. When you face difficult times, you lose many people. Or you just realise that you never had those people.”

After her ban was lifted, Simona Halep made her return at the 2024 Miami Open, where she was granted a wildcard entry into the main draw. However, her comeback was brief as she lost in the first round against Paula Badosa.