"The International Agency for Tennis Integrity (ITIA) confirms that Romanian tennis player Simona Halep has been charged with another separate violation of the Tennis Anti-Doping Program, in relation to irregularities in her Athlete Biological Passport (ABP)," the body said in a statement.

The former world No. 1, winner of Roland-Garros in 2018 and Wimbledon in 2019, has been provisionally suspended since last October after testing positive at the Roxadustat at the US Open in August.

This banned molecule stimulates the production of red blood cells and is banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Halep faces up to four years of suspension in this first case.

In a statement released Friday night on her Instagram account, the 31-year-old player said she was "living the worst nightmare" of her life since the announcement of her suspension on October 7, and denounced a form of "harassment" on the part of the ITIA that she accuses of seeking to "prove that I am guilty of something I have never done".

"Now that we have clearly established that I have been infected, they are taking out a supposedly abnormal course of my blood. Three world-renowned experts who studied my blood tests said extremely clearly that my blood was completely normal," Halep adds.

"A situation already highly publicized"

The new case, confirmed Friday evening by the ITIA, is "based on an assessment of the profile of Ms. Halep's biological passport by a group of independent experts," says the body.

An athlete's biological passport allows different blood parameters to be checked over a long period of time. It helps identify potential anti-doping rule violations.

"We recognize that today's announcement adds complexity to an already high-profile situation," said Nicole Sapstead, Senior Director of Anti-Doping at ITIA.

"It would be inappropriate for us to comment on the details before the process is concluded, but we will continue to engage with the independent investigative agency Sport Resolutions as well as Ms Halep's representatives as soon as possible."

Halep is the first top-tier player caught in the anti-doping net since Maria Sharapova's resounding suspension in 2016. Tested positive for Meldonium, the Russian star had finally received a fifteen-month suspension.

In an interview with Tennis Majors published at the end of April, the Romanian player invoked a "contamination of one of her dietary supplements" to explain the positive control during the US Open.

The International Agency for Tennis Integrity manages and administers the fight against doping in tennis by delegation of the International Federation (ITF).

© 2023 AFP