They need to set the threshold at a level that sees actual help during play. When a cop stops you for drunk driving, the threshold for BAC isn't just anything >0.0, it's set to a level that hampers driving ability. So then if Sinner/Iga's results were below the threshold, it shouldn't be considered a positive test.
ITIA was extremely unfair to Simona Halep. It was trace contamination and an honest mistake. Her coach was supposed to make certain her supplements were good and clean of any banned substance. Did she have a good lawyer (like Iga) right away? Simona should have gotten more support, sooner and her ranking should have been reinstated upon her return to the professional tennis courts. Complicated issues include that the ITIA should do preventive measures. Provide test kits for supplements and lotions. Determine immediately in tests whether it is trace or performance enhancing. Being found guilty of an honest mistake can be devastating to professional players as they get so much attention from many areas. My feelings are strong that players should not be using any (drug) method to enhance their performance. Very strong too is that prevention should be easy for the professional player whose whole day is already devoted to great fitness, nutrition, time management (travel), Competitive play for the sponsors, media, fans It was so very unfair for Simona, I still get emotional over it. May the future of tennis be full of integrity and fairness. It is an awesome sport that has brought me so much joy.
Iga and Sinner were able to prove that they are not guilty sooner than Simona. It is as simple as that. Also both Iga and Sinner had very lesser amount of substance, only 1 parts by billionth of gram in their system. But Simona had relatively higher value. So Simona has to stop doing such cheap and dirty blame game on others to show her innocence.
It’s pretty clear and obvious a case of favouritism! If the athlete is likeable by the public then a loophole can be find. The feeling is that the authorities wanted to make her as an example of how your career can be damaged, which they obviously failed to do, since in Swiatek‘s case they did close it pretty fast! A lot of interests but I think since a player is getting caught , offside‘‘ he or she should be straight away banned! Explanations make this kind of situations stupid, not transparent and very silly.
Read the report. Iga’s case was difficult to start with. They had to test all of her medications and supplements to trace the source of the banned substance. It was like looking for a needle in a haystack. Once they found the source and realised it was contamination of a regulated medication then it was just determination of the level of faults and negligence as specified in the rules. IGa was lucky as the contamination was in a regulated medication not a supplement. The rules were clear that there is history of contamination with supplements and players must manage accordingly. Hence if was a contaminated supplement then Iga would have faced a much longer suspension period and the only chance she could get it down to a shorter period like 3 months would be to provide evidence of precautions she took to minimise the risk of consuming contaminated supplements. If Simona read the report she would worked out what she needs to đo going forward. She wouldn’t have been managing the risks of consuming contaminated supplements if in her Telegraph interview she said some of testing had to be done in China. How many reputable supplement producers would go to China for their source material? This is not about injustices rather it is just a PR campaign.
Simona is unfortunately responsible for hiring right/wrong coach if he's feeding her with supplements. Mouratoglou needed to come out immediately and, with verification, say it was entirely his fault. He started to develop a conscience when she had already spent a lot of time under the bus.
I don't think any of them should be suspended for having banned substances unknowingly introduced into their systems. I think their coaching teams, or those on their teams who were responsible, should be banned from working in the sport for life, especially Morateglou who admitted giving Simona the supplement. He coached Serena for years so what was he giving her? He should know what was in that supplement, and he should be held responsible, not Simona. And then he has the gall to show up at the Miami Open, where Simona made a brief comeback appearance, and be filmed laughing it up with Serena. Same with Sinner who's physio massaged it into his muscles without Jannik knowing it. Don't know about Iga's case as I haven't read up on it. It leaves the players vulnerable to unscrupulous staffers who don't get punished at all. If the staff were punished equally or more severely than the players, this kind of thing would not continue to happen. Where is the investigation or rule amendment for this?
I see plenty of people saying “Iga and Sinner pointed to the contamination right away.” If we are to apply the treatment of Iga and Sinner to Simona, her suspension would have been immediately lifted once the source of contamination was determined, as she had already been out of the game for a period of time, and some amount of fine assessed. That was not the case though, she had to go through a lengthy fight to get her suspension lifted, even with her coach taking responsibility for recommending the supplement. Absolutely Simona has every right to be angry about double standards. I’d love to see the WADA or whoever has the authority to instead ban the use by pro athletes of the supplements involved, putting the onus on the manufacturer to make sure their products are free of contaminants.
The problem was she couldn't show that the supplement was the source of contamination- there was disagreement amongst the scientific experts and also other complications to do with her blood bio. If you look at the final report, which was very long, there were a lot of complexities to the case. Initially they didn't accept that it was accidental and she was given the full ban. Luckily, on appeal she was able to get the intention part overturned and the suspension reduced - unfortunately the CAS appeal took a long time and she had already served longer than the eventual suspension. That is the part where you feel it needed a quicker process. But her case was not like Sinner's and Iga's. Also the initial appeal window is only short- after that it is made public.
I love Halep! She’s a 2-time GS champion and a future Tennis Hall of Fame inductee. She’s strong and will be fine whether she wins another GS or even another match.
Apparently, all things are NOT considered equally. Halep should be re-instated immediately. ….and yes, the public should be kept informed…if for no other reason then to keep the disciplinary agencies honest with any potential public outcry such as is happening with the injustice heaped on Halep
So, besides all the multitude of things which a pro tennis player must do in order to play their best during each grueling, interminable season, they ALSO must be held accountable for EVERY thing which they ingest? Besides lugging all of their usual tennis gear around the globe during each grueling season, now they need a portable chemistry set and the expertise to use it? No; emphatically NO. / If a player unwittingly, unintentionally are exposed to some banned substance, which they are given by their trainer, their coach or some other trusted member of their team, the person who provided the tainted substance should be the first individual to be examined, reprimanded or banned by the governing body(ies). There should and must be an honest, totally transparent system which treats everyone on an equal basis --and-- which takes into account the very real possibility of human error in the extremely complicated set of rules imposed on the players.
Simona Halep absolutely got unjust treatment and she has every right to be furious. It is outrageous when compared to what the punishment was for Swiatek and Sinner.
It wasn't unfair, at least the process wasn't- it did take too long admittedly. Look, as Gill Gross said, the process should be the same for all players but the outcome should not be, because the circumstances are completely different. That the outcomes ARE different shows that the process is working. You wouldn't expect the outcomes to be the same. Halep's case was very complicated.
@@d.bellemare7217 you are entitled to your opinion, I am not saying you aren't. But people are just looking at the fact the outcomes were different and assuming foul play. If you look into the process the ITIA follow, which isn't perfect of course, you'll she WHY these cases were all different and it's because the circumstances were different and the evidence was different.
The system is broken, and to the public, it looks and feels like a clear case of favoritism. Perception is everything. If tennis wants to clean up its act, there needs to be a quick, transparent, and equal system that functions as a rule across the board with no exceptions. How can Halep lose two years of her career and Sinner is also found to have something in his system but is allowed to play and win GS during his very quiet investigation? No one knew what was going on. How do you run a sport like that? It feels arbitrary, reckless, and not a good look. For a fan, the way the tennis governing bodies deal with this reoccurring problem feels dirty.
Maybe the cases of Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek are being treated differently to Simona's case BECAUSE of the way Simona's case was dealt with. In other words the tennis authorities have learned from the way Simona's case was dealt with and don't want to make the same mistake with other players.
The explanation is simple- the case was different. She could not, for a long time establish the source of contamination and the evidence wasn't clear cut. I feel a lot of sympathy for her but she's not helping anyone by claiming she has been treated differently- her case was different.
I dont know how you can expect any supplements to be tested. What about if it's a bad batch or the team isnt well funded .I dont get how this is realistic if the substance isnt listed in the ingredients. I don't doubt Halep treated much worse. Only positive interpretation is they learned and doing better. But then they should own up to their maltreatment of Simona - they must. Two years lost at around her peak! - outrageous
From the outside , that justice must be seen to be done, it doesn't pass the test. Consistency should always be the hallmark for judgements. And , if there is a difference in the cases of Simona and Iga, the reason for the different treatment needs to be explained. Otherwise, at best, it's not a look you want for an 'authority'.
In order to make any comment research needs to be done , every case is different and should be judged separately, being emotional does not help but clouds logic
Simona got railroaded. She deserved the same treatment as Iga was afforded. Too late to right the wrong now. Fans should be outraged at the double standards from the WTA.
Oh Lord. People, if you care about Simone, and I am sure many of you genuinely do, go and read the CAS report. It's long and it's complicated but maybe it's the only way to understand what happened, how the process was followed (correctly btw), why the case was complex and why it was different to Sinner's case and Iga's case. No one is doing anyone dirty here- the ITIA follow the anti doping procedures as laid out by WADA.
Absolutely, the tennis world has betrayed Simona Halep… and by tennis world, I mean every logical thinking official, player, and fan….. Rules are there for two reasons, 1. to provide a framework for a game so a winner can be ascertained 2. in the above framework ensure there is no cheating … Ms Halep did not cheat, she simply got caught up in the mess that the current drug rules are… Officials are just hiding behind the “rule book” to cover up their incompetence……
Now, it's also known the reason why Simona didn't receive the ranking she was supposed to have after the 9-month suspension was because the "Players' Council" rejected this request. It seems like Pegula, Keys and Vekic (who are the top 20-50 representatives) are too envious on Simona as she beat them in almost every single match they played. Not to mention Clostebol and Trimetazidine are FAR more common in doping practices than Roxadustat. In my opinion, tennis has the weakest and most ambiguous antidoping system and it's noticeable. Also, there were rumors that stated Swiatek also tested positive for Erythropoietin in 2021, according to some leaked documents of POLADA (Polish Antidoping Agency). It's such a shame she has the guts to respond to Simona Halep's statements, but this is what happens when you're protected, you think you're the center of the Universe.
They need to set the threshold at a level that sees actual help during play. When a cop stops you for drunk driving, the threshold for BAC isn't just anything >0.0, it's set to a level that hampers driving ability. So then if Sinner/Iga's results were below the threshold, it shouldn't be considered a positive test.
ITIA was extremely unfair to Simona Halep. It was trace contamination and an honest mistake. Her coach was supposed to make certain her supplements were good and clean of any banned substance. Did she have a good lawyer (like Iga) right away? Simona should have gotten more support, sooner and her ranking should have been reinstated upon her return to the professional tennis courts. Complicated issues include that the ITIA should do preventive measures. Provide test kits for supplements and lotions. Determine immediately in tests whether it is trace or performance enhancing. Being found guilty of an honest mistake can be devastating to professional players as they get so much attention from many areas. My feelings are strong that players should not be using any (drug) method to enhance their performance. Very strong too is that prevention should be easy for the professional player whose whole day is already devoted to great fitness, nutrition, time management (travel), Competitive play for the sponsors, media, fans It was so very unfair for Simona, I still get emotional over it. May the future of tennis be full of integrity and fairness. It is an awesome sport that has brought me so much joy.
What about Mouratoglou's involvement in Halep's case. why was she punished and not the Academy that gave her the drink?
Poor Simona 😢 ITIA & WTA did her dirty!
Without a doubt, I would sue them for sure. No questions there.
Iga and Sinner were able to prove that they are not guilty sooner than Simona. It is as simple as that. Also both Iga and Sinner had very lesser amount of substance, only 1 parts by billionth of gram in their system. But Simona had relatively higher value. So Simona has to stop doing such cheap and dirty blame game on others to show her innocence.
It’s pretty clear and obvious a case of favouritism! If the athlete is likeable by the public then a loophole can be find. The feeling is that the authorities wanted to make her as an example of how your career can be damaged, which they obviously failed to do, since in Swiatek‘s case they did close it pretty fast! A lot of interests but I think since a player is getting caught , offside‘‘ he or she should be straight away banned! Explanations make this kind of situations stupid, not transparent and very silly.
Read the report. Iga’s case was difficult to start with. They had to test all of her medications and supplements to trace the source of the banned substance. It was like looking for a needle in a haystack. Once they found the source and realised it was contamination of a regulated medication then it was just determination of the level of faults and negligence as specified in the rules. IGa was lucky as the contamination was in a regulated medication not a supplement. The rules were clear that there is history of contamination with supplements and players must manage accordingly. Hence if was a contaminated supplement then Iga would have faced a much longer suspension period and the only chance she could get it down to a shorter period like 3 months would be to provide evidence of precautions she took to minimise the risk of consuming contaminated supplements.
If Simona read the report she would worked out what she needs to đo going forward. She wouldn’t have been managing the risks of consuming contaminated supplements if in her Telegraph interview she said some of testing had to be done in China. How many reputable supplement producers would go to China for their source material? This is not about injustices rather it is just a PR campaign.
I feel they are determined to make an example of Jannik.
Double standard , no question
Simona is unfortunately responsible for hiring right/wrong coach if he's feeding her with supplements. Mouratoglou needed to come out immediately and, with verification, say it was entirely his fault. He started to develop a conscience when she had already spent a lot of time under the bus.
I don't think any of them should be suspended for having banned substances unknowingly introduced into their systems. I think their coaching teams, or those on their teams who were responsible, should be banned from working in the sport for life, especially Morateglou who admitted giving Simona the supplement. He coached Serena for years so what was he giving her? He should know what was in that supplement, and he should be held responsible, not Simona. And then he has the gall to show up at the Miami Open, where Simona made a brief comeback appearance, and be filmed laughing it up with Serena. Same with Sinner who's physio massaged it into his muscles without Jannik knowing it. Don't know about Iga's case as I haven't read up on it. It leaves the players vulnerable to unscrupulous staffers who don't get punished at all. If the staff were punished equally or more severely than the players, this kind of thing would not continue to happen. Where is the investigation or rule amendment for this?
Give her back her ranking. All the players in the player concil are being petty
ITIA and WTA are disgraceful.
I see plenty of people saying “Iga and Sinner pointed to the contamination right away.” If we are to apply the treatment of Iga and Sinner to Simona, her suspension would have been immediately lifted once the source of contamination was determined, as she had already been out of the game for a period of time, and some amount of fine assessed. That was not the case though, she had to go through a lengthy fight to get her suspension lifted, even with her coach taking responsibility for recommending the supplement. Absolutely Simona has every right to be angry about double standards. I’d love to see the WADA or whoever has the authority to instead ban the use by pro athletes of the supplements involved, putting the onus on the manufacturer to make sure their products are free of contaminants.
The problem was she couldn't show that the supplement was the source of contamination- there was disagreement amongst the scientific experts and also other complications to do with her blood bio. If you look at the final report, which was very long, there were a lot of complexities to the case. Initially they didn't accept that it was accidental and she was given the full ban. Luckily, on appeal she was able to get the intention part overturned and the suspension reduced - unfortunately the CAS appeal took a long time and she had already served longer than the eventual suspension. That is the part where you feel it needed a quicker process. But her case was not like Sinner's and Iga's. Also the initial appeal window is only short- after that it is made public.
I love Halep! She’s a 2-time GS champion and a future Tennis Hall of Fame inductee. She’s strong and will be fine whether she wins another GS or even another match.
Apparently, all things are NOT considered equally. Halep should be re-instated immediately. ….and yes, the public should be kept informed…if for no other reason then to keep the disciplinary agencies honest with any potential public outcry such as is happening with the injustice heaped on Halep
Yes it was very very unfair to Simona. Her career was severely messed up. Yes double standards right in our faces.
The game's governing bodies ABSOLUTELY BETRAYED Simona Halep!
So, besides all the multitude of things which a pro tennis player must do in order to play their best during each grueling, interminable season, they ALSO must be held accountable for EVERY thing which they ingest? Besides lugging all of their usual tennis gear around the globe during each grueling season, now they need a portable chemistry set and the expertise to use it? No; emphatically NO. / If a player unwittingly, unintentionally are exposed to some banned substance, which they are given by their trainer, their coach or some other trusted member of their team, the person who provided the tainted substance should be the first individual to be examined, reprimanded or banned by the governing body(ies). There should and must be an honest, totally transparent system which treats everyone on an equal basis --and-- which takes into account the very real possibility of human error in the extremely complicated set of rules imposed on the players.
Simona Halep absolutely got unjust treatment and she has every right to be furious. It is outrageous when compared to what the punishment was for Swiatek and Sinner.
Yes i completely agree with Halep ,..double standards!!! Swiatek got a slap on the hand for doping and lots of other things she gets okay with . .
Yes Simona Halep was crossed and yes Sinner and Swiatek both of them had favors, why I don’t know but it was unfair.
It wasn't unfair, at least the process wasn't- it did take too long admittedly. Look, as Gill Gross said, the process should be the same for all players but the outcome should not be, because the circumstances are completely different. That the outcomes ARE different shows that the process is working. You wouldn't expect the outcomes to be the same. Halep's case was very complicated.
@ That was my personnal opinion and I beleive it, there is no such law for everybody.
@@d.bellemare7217 you are entitled to your opinion, I am not saying you aren't. But people are just looking at the fact the outcomes were different and assuming foul play. If you look into the process the ITIA follow, which isn't perfect of course, you'll she WHY these cases were all different and it's because the circumstances were different and the evidence was different.
Yes
the tennis world treated Simona very UNFAIRLY, and now they are giving Iga and Sinner loads of extremely Illegal {"outs")
The system is broken, and to the public, it looks and feels like a clear case of favoritism. Perception is everything. If tennis wants to clean up its act, there needs to be a quick, transparent, and equal system that functions as a rule across the board with no exceptions. How can Halep lose two years of her career and Sinner is also found to have something in his system but is allowed to play and win GS during his very quiet investigation? No one knew what was going on. How do you run a sport like that? It feels arbitrary, reckless, and not a good look. For a fan, the way the tennis governing bodies deal with this reoccurring problem feels dirty.
Simona deserves an explanation for the double standards in the handling of the drug cases.
Maybe the cases of Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek are being treated differently to Simona's case BECAUSE of the way Simona's case was dealt with. In other words the tennis authorities have learned from the way Simona's case was dealt with and don't want to make the same mistake with other players.
The explanation is simple- the case was different. She could not, for a long time establish the source of contamination and the evidence wasn't clear cut. I feel a lot of sympathy for her but she's not helping anyone by claiming she has been treated differently- her case was different.
I dont know how you can expect any supplements to be tested. What about if it's a bad batch or the team isnt well funded .I dont get how this is realistic if the substance isnt listed in the ingredients. I don't doubt Halep treated much worse. Only positive interpretation is they learned and doing better. But then they should own up to their maltreatment of Simona - they must. Two years lost at around her peak! - outrageous
From the outside , that justice must be seen to be done, it doesn't pass the test. Consistency should always be the hallmark for judgements. And , if there is a difference in the cases of Simona and Iga, the reason for the different treatment needs to be explained. Otherwise, at best, it's not a look you want for an 'authority'.
Better call Saul
I wonder who is the charge n which country they are from?
She was my favorite girl on WTA
SHAME on them 😢
the KeLJacob comment was made by C. Jacob.
Yes there's definitely double standards but the public's opinion clearly does not matter .
In order to make any comment research needs to be done , every case is different and should be judged separately, being emotional does not help but clouds logic
YES.
I don’t know trust those tested.
Look at Sinners, he has the game that beat everyone.
Proven : Sinner won the last GS and year end ATP
Simona got railroaded. She deserved the same treatment as Iga was afforded. Too late to right the wrong now. Fans should be outraged at the double standards from the WTA.
Yes Simona is right she was mistreated 😢
They screwed her! rly need to have a standards for everyone
Definitely double standards. Simona got a raw deal. Maria Sharapova was another one. Not good for tennis.
Oh Lord. People, if you care about Simone, and I am sure many of you genuinely do, go and read the CAS report. It's long and it's complicated but maybe it's the only way to understand what happened, how the process was followed (correctly btw), why the case was complex and why it was different to Sinner's case and Iga's case. No one is doing anyone dirty here- the ITIA follow the anti doping procedures as laid out by WADA.
Absolutely, the tennis world has betrayed Simona Halep…
and by tennis world, I mean every logical thinking official, player, and fan…..
Rules are there for two reasons,
1. to provide a framework for a game so a winner can be ascertained
2. in the above framework ensure there is no cheating …
Ms Halep did not cheat, she simply got caught up in the mess that the current drug rules are…
Officials are just hiding behind the “rule book” to cover up their incompetence……
YES!
Maybe they were both doping.
None of them had performance enhancing amounts of drugs. All three just had trace amounts…due to contamination.
No halep betrayed herself.
Really? Enlighten us.
Yes, Halep was betrayed! IGA AND Sinner should be sitting at home suspended. Give up those trophies you stole.Haplep should sue.
Now, it's also known the reason why Simona didn't receive the ranking she was supposed to have after the 9-month suspension was because the "Players' Council" rejected this request. It seems like Pegula, Keys and Vekic (who are the top 20-50 representatives) are too envious on Simona as she beat them in almost every single match they played.
Not to mention Clostebol and Trimetazidine are FAR more common in doping practices than Roxadustat. In my opinion, tennis has the weakest and most ambiguous antidoping system and it's noticeable. Also, there were rumors that stated Swiatek also tested positive for Erythropoietin in 2021, according to some leaked documents of POLADA (Polish Antidoping Agency). It's such a shame she has the guts to respond to Simona Halep's statements, but this is what happens when you're protected, you think you're the center of the Universe.
Well, Iga openly supports Ukraine 😂😂😂 poor simona.
Yup!
Double standards
Halep's suspension was always unfair. Her results weren't out of normal range.
Yes
Yes
Yes