Two-time Grand Slam champion Simona Halep was provisionally suspended by the International Tennis Integrity Agency after failing a drug test during the U.S. Open in August.
The ITIA announced the punishment Friday for Halep, a former No. 1 player who is currently No. 9 in the WTA rankings. She won Wimbledon in 2019, beating 23-time major champion Serena Williams in the final, and the French Open in 2018.
In a social media post, Halep called the news of her positive test “the biggest shock of my life,” adding: “Facing such an unfair situation, I feel completely confused and betrayed.”
“I will fight until the end to prove that I never knowingly took any prohibited substance,” Halep wrote, “and I have faith that sooner or later, the truth will come out.”…