Simona Halep has found support from former coach Darren Cahill amid her ongoing tussle with the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) over the handling of her doping suspension. Earlier this week, Halep received a second doping charge from the ITIA around eight months after initially being suspended for testing positive for roxadustat. In response to a lengthy post from Halep expressing her shock over the news, Cahill took to social media to reiterate his “unwavering” support for the disgruntled athlete.
Darren Cahill’s unwavering support for Simona Halep
Cahill, who was among some of the first athletes to back Halep at the time of her initial suspension, said he stood by every word of his original statement and looked forward to the Romanian getting a fair audience with an “independent panel”. He wrote on Twitter, “I stand by every single word of my original statement way back in October. My belief and support of Simona is unwavering. I look forward to her having the chance to present her case to the independent panel asap.”
Notably, Halep had voiced her helplessness in view of the latest news in a social media post, stating, “Since October 7, when I got charged by the ITIA for a suspicion of doping, I have lived the worst nightmare I have ever gone through in my life. I feel helpless facing such harassment and a motivation on their behalf to prove me guilty of something I never did.”
Halep’s frustrations with the ITIA
The Romanian tennis player also expressed frustration with the ITIA for repeatedly postponing her hearing during the eight months since her initial suspension. “Once again, all my life I have been totally against any sort of cheating. It doesn’t align with my values,” she added. “The only thing I hope for, at this point, is to have the possibility to finally access the independent and impartial judges in a Tribunal, that will give me the chance to prove my innocence.”
Cahill consistently vouches for Halep’s innocence
Darren Cahill has been on Simona Halep’s side ever since the news of her testing positive for roxadustat first broke. He initially said that while his ward should pay the penalty for the slip-up, he expressed hope that she would not be handed a major penalty as he believed that she was not at fault. He has reiterated his stance on multiple occasions since then, unequivocally vouching for the Romanian player. “I released a statement when this came out about Simona and I’ll be buried standing next to that statement because of her integrity and the DNA she is made of. There’s no way she’d ever cheat,” Cahill said. “She is a great woman and a great person. There’s no way she could have done the wrong thing.”
