"I wish him good luck with Holger Rune, I don't have hate inside": Simona Halep on her equation with ex-coach Patrick Mouratoglou after doping scandal

Simona Halep has suggested that she doesn't hold any grudges against her former coach Patrick Mouratoglou over his involvement in her consuming a substance prohibited under doping.

The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) slapped a four-year-long ban on Halep in September 2023 after she was found guilty of taking 'roxadustat' during the US Open 2022. Notably, Patrick Mouratoglou, who trained Halep in 2022, claimed responsibility for accidentally exposing the Romanian to 'roxadustat'.

Halep, however, overturned the punishment by proving her innocence at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CABS) recently. The CABS reduced her punishment to nine months and okayed her return to competitive tennis beginning with the Miami Open 2024. However, she lost 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 to Spain's Paula Badosa in the first round.

During a press conference after the loss, Halep addressed her equation with Mouratoglou, who is also in Miami with Holger Rune's contingent.

"We saw each other two days ago. We said hello to each other. I wish him good luck with Rune. I know they do a good job. But it's done, so I finish with them working. Yeah, we say hello. I actually say hello to everyone, so I don't have, like, hate inside myself. It's good," Halep said.

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Simona Halep advises young tennis players to be "worried about everything they eat"

Simona Halep addresses a press conference at the Miami Open 2024.

During the same press conference at the Miami Open 2024, Simona Halep expressed her hope that no young tennis player would face the embarrassment she experienced. She advised the youngsters to doubt everything they consume, saying:

"They have to be worried about everything they eat, they do. Sometimes it can happen unexpected. It's a stress for everybody. We have just to believe that something like it happened to me doesn't happen to them because it's terrible. It has been a terrible period for me and very stressful emotionally.

"The advice is just to check what they take and to be aware about everything. It's tough to say to give an advice because I don't wish anyone to go through what I went through. But, yeah, we have to be a little bit, like, safer."

Simona Halep further clarified her position on doping, claiming she had always favored fairness in sport.

"I always supported a clean sport. I've always been loud about it. I'm still doing that," the former World No. 1 added.