‘No way’ Simona Halep would intentionally take banned substance, says Eurosport expert Mats Wilander

Mats Wilander says there is no way that Simona Halep would “intentionally” take a banned substance.

Speaking to Eurosport, seven-time Grand Slam winner Wilander has said that his interactions with the player lead him to believe that she would never intentionally take a banned substance.

“My heart goes out to Simona Halep,” began Wilander.

“I would never claim that I know her. But I have watched her play a lot of tennis matches over the years and I have interviewed her quite a few times. I would say of all the players I have come across, she is one of the ones that there is no way that she would intentionally do anything.”

Halep, under the rules of her provisional suspension, is ineligible to compete in or attend any sanctioned tennis events organised by the governing bodies of the sport. Wilander added that Halep may have inadvertently taken the substance, adding that he hoped to see the former world No. 1 out on the court again soon.

“She said she is going to try to clear her name,” he added.

“You never know, it is possible these days that you inadvertently get something in you that you might not know about or whatever. But again, I can’t imagine that there is an athlete out there in the professional tennis world that does not know what is okay to take or whatever.

“So I am thinking it is a clear mistake. Somewhere along the way, I can not imagine… I think Simona Halep is a great athlete and a great human being, and my heart goes out to her.

“I hope she can clear her name because I want to see her out on a court because I am assuming that she is innocent, she has a great spirit about her.”

“Today begins the hardest match of my life: a fight for the truth,” she wrote on Twitter.

“I have been notified that I have tested positive for a substance called Roxadustat in an extremely low quantity, which came as the biggest shock of my life.

“Throughout my whole career, the idea of cheating never even crossed my mind once, as it is totally against all values I have been educated with. Facing such an unfair situation, I feel completely confused and betrayed.

“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. It’s not about the titles or the money.

“It’s about honour, and the love story I have developed with the game of tennis over the last 25 years.”

Halep is a two-time Grand Slam winner having won the French Open in 2018 and Wimbledon in 2019. Her best showing at a Grand Slam in 2022 was a semi-final at SW19.