Serena Williams' ex-coach calls out Simona Halep for 'angry' attacks on Iga Swiatek amid doping row

Simona Halep has repeatedly slammed Iga Swiatek amid her doping controversy. The Romanian's approach towards Swiatek's case has caught the eye of fans and did not sit well with Rennae Stubbs.

From calling the ITIA's treatment of her during her doping case discriminatory to losing sleep over the ITIA's decision in Swiatek's case, Halep has not been shy about sharing her opinions. However, the Romanian's approach to Swiatek's doping scandal has irked former WTA doubles World No. 1 and former Serena Williams coach Rennae Stubbs.

In the latest episode of the Rennae Stubbs Podcast, the American was surprised by Halep's conduct and opined that it is tarnishing her reputation in the tennis world. Stubbs went on to say that Halep's anger is misguided and should be directed towards the ITIA and not the players.

"I am a bit surprised by Halep going hard though, publicly. I don't think that's a good look for her. I think she's just, she's angry obviously, but don't be angry at Iga, be angry at the system. Like she's, you know, there's a lot of players that are being angry at the player, be angry at the system. It's not, it wasn't their fault. They play within the rules. If they didn't, they wouldn't be playing right now," Stubbs said.

Iga Swiatek tested positive for the banned substance trimetazidine and received a provisional ban from September 12 to October 14. After concluding its investigation, the International Tennis Integrity Agency judged that Swiatek was not at fault and handed a one-month ban that ended in early December. Simona Halep was upset by the treatment given to the Pole in her case and has repeatedly taken to social media to voice her dissent.

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ITIA Chief breaks down key differences in Iga Swiatek and Simona Halep's doping cases

Simona Halep (Source: Getty)

ITIA Chief Karen Moorhouse recently responded to Simona Halep's accusation that the organization acted with double standards in handling her and Iga Swiatek's cases. Halep tested positive for Roxadustat in October 2022 and was initially suspended for four years, which was reduced to nine months.

Speaking to Tennis 365, Moorhouse pointed out that each case is quite complex and has variable components, so it is unfair to compare any two cases.

“It’s the same rules and the same processes for every player. All cases are different and each case turns on individual facts. Cases can also be quite complex, so it isn’t right to look at two headlines and draw comparisons between two cases as the detail is always the key part," Moorhouse said.

Moorhouse then discussed the differences between Iga Swiatek's and Simona Halep's cases. The Pole's contamination came from medication, and therefore, it was not "unreasonable" for her to trust the ingredients. As a result, Swiatek bore the "lowest level" of fault. Meanwhile, Halep's contamination came from a collagen supplement, and so she was judged to be at a "higher" level of fault.

“In relation to Swiatek, the contaminated product was a medication. So it was not unreasonable for a player to assume that a regulated medication would contain what it says on the ingredients. Therefore, the level of fault she could accept was at the lowest level as there was very little more she could have done reasonably to mitigate the risk of that product being contaminated," she continued.

“Halep’s contamination was not a medication. It was a collagen supplement and her level of fault was found to be higher."

Simona Halep and Iga Swiatek recently shared the tennis court as they competed in the recently concluded 2024 World Tennis League. The duo participated in a doubles match at the exhibition event, with Swiatek and Paula Badosa facing Jasmine Paolini and Halep. Paolini and Halep were victors in the contest, 7-5.