Simona Halep returns to the courts after her suspension

The former Wimbledon and French Open champion, Simona Halep saw her four-year ban for doping reduced to nine months on Tuesdayso the former world number one will be able to compete again immediately.

Halep was initially sanctioned with a four-year suspension for two separate anti-doping rule violations. But Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS), in Lausanne, ruled that his suspension should be reduced to nine months, a period he has already served.

“The CAS Panel has unanimously determined that the four-year period of ineligibility (…) should be reduced to a nine-month period of ineligibility beginning on October 7, 2022, a period that expired on July 6, 2023. “said the CAS.

Now that the 32-year-old Romanian is eligible to compete, she could be granted a wild card for this year’s French Open or Wimbledon.

“Throughout this long and difficult process, I have maintained my belief that the truth would eventually come to light and that a fair decision would be reached, because I am and always have been a clean athlete.”Halep said in a statement. “I can’t wait to get back on the circuit,” he added.

Halep She was suspended in October 2022 after testing positive for roxadustat – a banned drug that stimulates red blood cell production – at that year’s US Open.

She was also charged with another doping offense last year due to irregularities in her Athlete Biological Passport (ABP), a method designed to monitor different blood parameters over time to reveal possible doping.

Halep, who strenuously denied the charges against her, has said she would most likely be forced to retire if the initial four-year sanction was upheld.

Halep blamed contaminated supplements for her positive test at the US Open and blamed the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) of accusing her of violating the ABP after the group of experts who evaluated her profile learned her identity.