Simona Halep charged with additional doping offense - ESPN

Two-time Grand Slam champion Simona Halep has been accused of a second doping offense by the International Tennis Integrity Agency for irregularities in her athlete biological passport.

The charge announced Friday «is separate and in addition to» the provisional suspension Halep received last year after failing a drug test during the US Open in August, the ITIA said.

Halep is a 31-year-old from Romania who reached No. 1 in the WTA rankings in 2017. She won Wimbledon in 2019, beating 23-time major champion Serena Williams in the final, a year after winning the French Open.

The ITIA said the new charge «was based on an assessment» of Halep's biological passport profile by an expert panel. Such passports provide a baseline reading of substances in an athlete's body and are considered a way to help chart doping.

«We understand that today's announcement adds complexity to an already high-profile situation. From the outset of this process — and indeed any other at the ITIA — we have remained committed to engaging with Ms. Halep in an empathetic, efficient, and timely manner,» Nicole Sapstead, the group's senior director for anti-doping, said in a statement.

In a lengthy statement posted to her Twitter account Friday, Halep wrote that she has «lived the worst nightmare I have ever gone through in my life» since being initially charged by the ITIA.

She continued, saying her «name been soiled in the worst possible way» and that the ITIA is determined «to prove my guilt while I haven't EVER even thought of taking any illicit substance.»

Halep's post says she was a «victim of contamination» and always has «been totally against any sort of cheating.»

«I look forward to finally being able to present my case at my hearing that is