Former No. 1-ranked player Simona Halep has been provisionally suspended by the International Tennis Integrity Agency after failing a drug test during the US Open last month.
The ITIA announced the suspension Friday for Halep, a two-time Grand Slam champion who is currently No. 9 in the WTA rankings, saying she tested positive for the banned substance roxadustat.
Saying she was “confused and betrayed” by the situation, Halep tweeted that she would start a “fight for the truth” regarding her failed test.
“I will fight until the end to prove that I never knowingly took any prohibited substance and I have faith that sooner or later, the truth will come out,” Halep wrote.
— Simona Halep (@Simona_Halep) October 21, 2022
The 31-year-old Romanian player recently announced she was taking the rest of this season off after having nose surgery to improve her breathing.
She was seeded No. 7 at the US Open when she lost to Daria Snigur of Ukraine 6-2, 0-6, 6-4 on Aug. 30.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.