Sorana Cirstea has weighed in on the doping allegations surrounding Simona Halep and Serena Williams’ enigmatic remarks on X (formerly Twitter).
Simona Halep recently faced damning doping charges, resulting in her receiving a four-year ban from tennis, as declared by the ITIA. Her violations included testing positive for the illicit substance Roxadustat last year and discrepancies found in her athlete biological passport (ABP), leading to a second charge.
The ITIA officially imposed the provisional ban on Halep in October 2023, effective from October 7, 2022, until October 6, 2026. Despite her protestations, Halep remains optimistic about her situation, claiming that the ITIA unjustly accused her. She maintains that her positive AAF results were due to contaminated nutritional supplements containing Roxadustat. However, her evidence and testimony were disregarded by the ITIA.
Patrick Mouratoglou also posted a statement in X that supports Halep’s claims against the ITIA.
Serena’s cryptic post
Serena Williams, however, seems to have a different opinion on the matter. On September 13, Williams posted a sentence that only contained five words but carried so much weight.
“8 is a better number.”
Four years ago, Serena Williams and Simona Halep faced off for the Wimbledon title, and to everyone’s amazement, Halep triumphed 6-2, 6-2 to deny Williams what would have been her 8th Wimbledon title.
Williams’ fans on X has since defended her, saying that she had the right to reclaim the title if the allegations are true.
Sorana Cirstea’s take
Cirstea, the 41-year old tennis veteran and fellow Romanian, has also spoken out on the matter. She called out Williams for her arrogance and defended Halep, saying that the tennis star would never ‘consciously dope’
“Serena as a player was extraordinarily good. As a person, she always had this arrogance. She didn’t accept when someone could beat her or took a title from her,” she said.
“I know Simona. I don’t think she ever consciously doped. This suspension is for an innocent person. I was afraid to take anything, I was afraid to take an aspirin. I’m maybe a little paranoid, but it’s no joke. It’s every athlete’s nightmare,” she added.
Sorana Cirstea believes Simona Halep is innocent:
“I know Simona. I don't think she ever consciously doped. This suspension is for an innocent person…”
(via Sport Romania) pic.twitter.com/67e4rsB2vN
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) September 20, 2023
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