WTA considering 'special rankings' for players cleared of doping

BENGALURU : The WTA has begun a review of its rules that could see players cleared of doping offences or have their bans reduced return to the circuit with "special rankings" in future, the governing body of women's tennis told Reuters on Wednesday.

The rule change is being considered following the high-profile case of Simona Halep, who made her comeback at the Miami Open with a wildcard on Tuesday after the Romanian's four-year doping ban was cut to nine months by sport's highest court.

Unlike in the case of serious injuries or maternity leave, players banned for doping offences are currently not afforded protected rankings on their return and often have to rebuild their careers from scratch.

"We have begun a process of reviewing this rule as we believe it is appropriate to consider," a WTA spokesperson told Reuters via email.

"The precise timeline for any potential rule change and its subsequent implementation will be dependent on the feedback received from our members.

Former Wimbledon and French Open winner Halep was suspended in October 2022 after testing positive for roxadustat - a banned drug that stimulates the production of red blood cells - at the U.S. Open that year.

The 32-year-old was also charged with another offence last year due to irregularities in her athlete biological passport, a method designed to monitor different blood parameters over time to reveal potential doping.

But Halep, who vigorously denied the charges against her, was allowed to return to action after the Lausanne-based Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled that her suspension should be slashed to nine months, a period she had already served.

She was beaten 1-6 6-4 6-3 by Paula Badosa in the opening round in Miami.

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