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Due to her reputation as a top player, a previous top-ranked player for 64 weeks and a two-time winner of major tournaments, Simona Halep has typically chosen to work discreetly and avoid the limelight. However, all attention will be on her this week as she makes her comeback to the professional tennis circuit after a 19-month absence at the Miami Open. This comes after the court of arbitration for sport (Cas) shortened her four-year suspension for purposeful use of banned substances to just nine months, concluding that she was not intentionally doping and permitting her immediate return to competition.
The initial match for the Romanian in Miami will be against Paula Badosa, a former second-ranked player in the world. A victory would set up an exciting headline-worthy match. The winner will then face Aryna Sabalenka, the reigning Australian Open champion and current world No 2.
As Halep returns to the court to continue her career, there are still unknowns surrounding the discrepancies between the initial tribunal conducted by Sport Resolutions and Cas, both of which reached unanimous conclusions. We are still awaiting the released of the complete and reasoned decision from Cas.
Halep was found to have roxadustat in her system after being defeated in the opening round of the 2022 US Open. However, her case was delayed multiple times as issues were raised with her athlete biological passport (ABP), a system which tracks data from past blood tests and identifies any abnormalities that could indicate the use of blood doping.
Last year, experts from both Halep’s team and the International Tennis Integrity Agency conducted individual tests on the keto MCT collagen supplement that the player had reportedly taken. However, their results differed on whether the supplement was tainted with roxadustat. The independent tribunal ultimately determined that, even if the supplement was contaminated, it could not account for the high levels of roxadustat found in her sample. As a result, she received two separate four-year bans for both her use of roxadustat and irregularities in her ABP.
The Cas panel determined that the roxadustat found in the athlete’s sample was not deliberately consumed and thus dismissed the charge from the ABP. They also revealed their alternative approach to this matter, as they recognized the validity of the private blood sample provided by Halep on September 9, 2022, which was taken during a separate nasal surgery.
Although Halep has gained a lot of attention, her situation is just one of many cases where the initial tribunal and Cas have disagreed. These two tribunals, both specialized in the same area, tend to analyze the same evidence and arguments, yet often come to drastically different conclusions. This pattern is not limited to the initial tribunal issuing stricter punishments that are ultimately reduced upon appeal to Cas. In the past few years, Cas has also overturned decisions in the cases of Halep, Mikael Ymer, Marin Cilic, Maria Sharapova, and Sara Errani.
In 2022, professional tennis player Ymer, who ranked within the top 100, appeared before an independent court for failing to comply with “whereabouts” regulations after missing three tests within a year. Ymer disputed the final missed test and the initial court found no major wrongdoing or punishment necessary. However, the International Tennis Federation appealed and he received an 18-month ban from the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). In July, following the CAS decision, Ymer announced his retirement from the sport at the age of 24.
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Due to discrepancies in rulings between the first tribunal and Cas, the integrity of the anti-doping protocols in professional tennis has been compromised.
As Halep, who is now 32 years old, makes her comeback to the sport and works to regain her former level in the final stage of her career, her presence is unlikely to create the same buzz as Sharapova’s return to professional tennis in 2017, which also occurred after her doping ban was reduced upon appeal by Cas. Halep is well-respected by her peers and has received a lot of compassion and backing from fellow players during the 19 months since she last played.
In the upcoming event, Iga Swiatek will attempt to attain a “Sunshine Double” for the second time, having previously achieved this feat and reached the top ranking in the world two years ago. Meanwhile, Carlos Alcaraz’s chances of accomplishing this feat for the first time have greatly improved due to Novak Djokovic’s absence.
Source: theguardian.com
