Simona Halep's coach vows to 'fight to prove the truth' after tennis star's drug suspension
A tennis coach who has previously worked with Serena Williams, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Coco Gauff, spoke out after former No. 1 ranked player Simona Halep was suspended after failing a drug test at the U.S. Open.
Patrick Mouratoglou, who has worked with Halep since the start of the year, says he knows Halep is a "model of integrity."
Last week, the International Tennis Integrity Agency provisionally suspended Halep after she tested positive for the banned substance Roxadustat.
"First, I want to express how much of a shock our team has been in since Simona informed me about the positive doping test from the US Open," Mouratoglou wrote on social media. "In almost 30 years of working with hundreds of professional athletes, I have never faced a situation like this.
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"I appreciate that many people from the tennis world who have closely worked with Simona or have known her personally for many years have spoken up. I want to thank those people for expressing loudly in such an important moment that Simona is a woman of value. Their words of certitude convey a strong message that I stand by.
"Together, we will fight to prove the truth."
Halep, a two-time Grand Slam champion, said she was "confused and betrayed" by the results of the drug test.
"Throughout my whole career, the idea of cheating never even crossed my mind once, as it is totally against all the values I have been educated with.
"I will fight until the end to prove that I never knowingly took any prohibited substance and I have faith that sooner or later, the truth will come out," Halep wrote on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Simona Halep's coach Patrick Mouratoglou 'shocked' by drug suspension
