The Romanian tennis player Simona Halep has been involved in controversies nonstop for the past 12 months. She failed a drug test last year after the US Open, and the ITIA temporarily suspended her after discovering traces of the illegal medication, Roxadustat, in her test sample. The two-time Grand Slam champion, however, recently issued a statement against the verdict and requested a quick hearing. Her plea resonated with her fans and, more so, with people close to her in the tennis world, like Patrick Mouratoglou.
Recently, Novak Djokovic‘s Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA) issued a statement backing her in the doping case. However, her coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, who previously worked with Serena Williams, is not convinced by the PTPA’s bare-minimum show of support at such a critical time.
Serena Williams’ former coach, not-convinced with PTPA’s bare-minimum support
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Halep recently shared a video explaining that a supplement contamination was the reason for her positive result. And stated that she had submitted the evidence to ITIA, but was rejected. The Romanian tennis player made a public plea for her hearing to go forward, without any delay.
I’ve been provisionally suspended for 8 months even though I’ve sent all the evidence regarding my contamination to the ITF last December. I don’t ask for any special treatment, but to be able to get judged by the Tribunal. I feel it is unfair. How long is it going to last? pic.twitter.com/ZwcMzXKnd0
— Simona Halep (@Simona_Halep) April 27, 2023
Upon the shocking revelation, the Professional Tennis Players Association showed its support with a statement on their official Twitter account.
It read, “One of the PTPA’s Principles is tennis players must have fair anti-doping rules and regulations, with full due process rights. That includes a timely review. We fully support players as they exercise their appeal rights & governing bodies must move with all deliberate speed to resolve cases. Athletes do not get time back even in a successful appeal.”
One of the PTPA’s Principles is tennis players must have fair anti-doping rules and regulations, with full due process rights. That includes a timely review.
We fully support players as they exercise their appeal rights & governing bodies must move with all deliberate speed to… https://t.co/6iPCVyuV6e
— Professional Tennis Players Association (@ptpaplayers) April 28, 2023
Regarding the 31-year-old tennis player’s doping trial, the PTPA released a statement emphasising the need for fair anti-doping rules and regulations that are regularly reviewed. However, the Romanian tennis player’s coach took to his Twitter account to share his apprehension over PTPA’s statement. And suggested that there are no concrete actions undertaken by Djokovic’s association.
He wrote, “It is great to have it in your rules, but how do you make them be applied by the anti-doping?”
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Not only did he give the PTPA a reality check, but he also urged the authorities to look into the concern as he sides with Simona Halep.
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Patrick Mouratoglou urges authorities to take action
Even after she was suspended, her coach remains by her side to this day. The French tennis coach was one of the first individuals to respond to her message when she posted on her Instagram account regarding the difficulties she encountered during her doping trial.
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He backed up the 31-year-old tennis player’s plea to have a quick hearing to come to conclusions as soon as possible. However, even when she was accused of doping last year, her coach was by her side, vouching for her innocence.
Now, the most important question in everyone’s mind is whether Halep will be given another chance to prove her innocence? Only time will tell.