Simona Halep hasn’t kept quiet about recent anti-doping violations (Image: Getty)
appears to have had her attempts at getting her ranking restored denied after eight players refused to help the Romanian star.
Halep was banned from tennis for four years in September 2023 for a doping violation, but the suspension was eventually reduced to nine months following an appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
The former World No.1 returned to action earlier this year having served the nine-month ban while the CAS case was ongoing.
But hopes of having her WTA ranking points restored appear to have fallen on deaf ears.
Halep shared an story which read: “So apparently Simona tried to get help from the WIA player’s council about getting her ranking back and they denied her. Easy to see why when you see who the player’s council.”
The photo was accompanied by a list of players on the council, which included Victoria Azarenka, Caroline Garcia, Madison Keys, Jessica Pegula, Donna Vekic, Daria Saville, Gabriela Dabrowski and Alex Krunic.
Halep has been vocal about her frustration regarding anti-doping in tennis, specifically what she believes have been lax punishments given out to and .
Swiatek was recently handed a one-month ban after testing positive for a banned substance, whereas Sinner escaped punishment even though traces of clostebol was found in his system.
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Iga Swiatek was given a one-month ban earlier this year (Image: Getty)
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, Halep refused to recognise Swiatek by name.
She said: “The woman player – I don’t want to give name, you know about who I’m talking about – she had the three-week suspension, then she played two events, and then she gets again suspension. What is this? I mean, I don’t understand. So I feel it is not fair.”
One of Halep’s biggest gripes was Swiatek’s case being kept under wraps until a decision was made, compared to her own, which was announced from the off.
She continued in the fiery interview: “What I believe is not fair, either, is that they announced my case straight away, and I got all the heat from the press, and for these two players they kept it secret, and they just said about the case when everything was done, so it’s very weird.
“And I asked also to lift the provisional suspension to be able to play. I said, ‘If you believe in the end that I am guilty, you take the points back and all the money and everything, but let me play,’ because I wanted to keep the rhythm. I asked this about two or three times, but now they [Sinner and Swiatek] could play.”