Simona Halep has launched a legal attack as she fights to overturn a controversial doping ban, with the former No. 1 suing a Canadian manufacturer for what her lawyers say was a contaminated supplement.
The USD 10 million lawsuit against Quantum Nutrition will play out in a New York court. The 32-year-old double Grand Slam winner tested positive at the US Open two years ago and is appealing a four-year ban at the Court for Arbitration of Sport.
Halep says the contaminated Keto MCT supplements contained banned roxadustat, an anti-anaemia medication which increases haemoglobin and the production of red blood cells.
The suit claims negligence for not listing the banned substance on the ingredient list.
Halep’s coaching staff also looks likely to cop blame after buying the supplement for the player,
Halep is fighting a ban which would effectively end her career: “Four years is going to be a lot, for my age at least,” she told Euronews two months ago.
“For an athlete who has done this thing every day for 25 years and dedicated their life to tennis and to sport, I don’t know how it’s going to be.
“But it’s catastrophic if it’s going to be four years – I don’t know how I will handle it.”
