Simona Halep suspended for positive doping test taken at US Open

[the AntiPusher]

Let's see how all this playa out.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Darren Cahill has come out on Twitter and defended Halep who he worked with for around 6 years.Darren said first and more importantly, there is No chance Simona knowingly or purposely took any substance on the banned list. None. Zero.

 

[Kieran]

Darren Cahill has come out on Twitter and defended Halep who he worked with for around 6 years.Darren said first and more importantly, there is No chance Simona knowingly or purposely took any substance on the banned list. None. Zero.

Well, in fairness, he’s more credibility than PM, who also came out earlier and defended her. Patrick’s first instinct in everything is to try figure out how bad or good it makes him look…

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Well, in fairness, he’s more credibility than PM, who also came out earlier and defended her. Patrick’s first instinct in everything is to try figure out how bad or good it makes him look…

Agree about the credibility regarding Darren, PM is with the Brat aka Holger Rune who just defeated The Young Greek in a final, quite frankly I think PM wants to distance himself from Halep

 

[Moxie]

I also agree about Cahill. He comes off as having a lot of integrity, in general. Plus, when he coached her, he told her he'd quit if she didn't adjust her attitude. I can't image he'd have tolerated doping.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

I also agree about Cahill. He comes off as having a lot of integrity, in general. Plus, when he coached her, he told her he'd quit if she didn't adjust her attitude. I can't image he'd have tolerated doping.

Darren and Halep did have a break in their coaching arrangement, correct it was about Halep's attitude, she accepted what Darren said and they got back together, Darren is a hard task master as a coach, though he has had great results in his coaching and methods,

 

[Tennis_Steve]

Love reading about all the twists and turns, speculation and interpretations here.
I don't have time to follow it by other means, so this is great.
Keep it up

My take


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[MargaretMcAleer]

Darren and Halep did have a break in their coaching arrangement, correct it was about Halep's attitude, she accepted what Darren said and they got back together, Darren is a hard task master as a coach, though he has had great results in his coaching and methods,

Darren and Simona had a break in 2017, because of Halep's attitude, it diid not last long. then they got back together.

 

[Moxie]

Love reading about all the twists and turns, speculation and interpretations here.
I don't have time to follow it by other means, so this is great.
Keep it up

My take


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Absolute best commentary-via-emoji of all time, even if they didn't all show up (on my computer?)!! You're right about twists and turns and speculation on here. I recognize that I, myself, have basically argued both sides. I did say I thought it was odd, even at the time, when she announced she was shutting down the year due to sinus surgery...not one you hear very ofter, or ever...and that she must have known she'd gotten a bad test sooner than we did. But, it doesn't mean she's dirty, perhaps, just that she knew she'd get suspended, pending arbitration, anyway. When Cahill made his statement, it made an impression on me, but they haven't been together for about a year, and anything could happen since then, but he should know her pretty well.

 

[kskate2]

I don't doubt that she took it accidentally. She is still culpable under the rules and regulations. Someone who' isn't green and has been on the tour as long as she has knows the rules. Ignorance of a product's content and deliberately ingesting still equal the same result = a positive test of a banned substance. In fact, ignorance looks sloppy and lazy. You can't be sloppy and lazy at your place of employment. After awhile, they will show you the door w/ that kind of behavior.

 

[Moxie]

I don't doubt that she took it accidentally. She is still culpable under the rules and regulations. Someone who' isn't green and has been on the tour as long as she has knows the rules. Ignorance of a product's content and deliberately ingesting still equal the same result = a positive test of a banned substance. In fact, ignorance looks sloppy and lazy. You can't be sloppy and lazy at your place of employment. After awhile, they will show you the door w/ that kind of behavior.

I'm not yet convinced that she took it unwittingly. How else would she test positive for it? It's a new drug, and perhaps the tests are imperfect. But you say that ignorance of the drug is not an excuse...yes, if she actually took it, why would she have? It's for people on dialysis, I think. Young women are subject to anemia, but it's not for just that, right? As I said before, she should have a great sports doctor who is conversant with drugs that are on the ban list, or anything close to it, and I have to believe she does. I'll be curious to see how her team mounts their defense against this positive test. Right now, there are more questions than answers.

 

[the AntiPusher]

I also agree about Cahill. He comes off as having a lot of integrity, in general. Plus, when he coached her, he told her he'd quit if she didn't adjust her attitude. I can't image he'd have tolerated doping.

So AP believes she is innocent .. crickets. But Cahill's respond and he has more "integrity" than everyone including your resident tennis savant, SMH2.. jajaja

Seriously, I'm glad Cahill spoke up for her .

 

[Moxie]

So AP believes she is innocent .. crickets. But Cahill's respond and he has more "integrity" than everyone including your resident tennis savant, SMH2.. jajaja

Seriously, I'm glad Cahill spoke up for her .

I hope she is. You're not the only one who does. See @kskate2's most recent. There is a lot to be sorted out, and it can't be all on "belief."

 

[kskate2]

I'm not yet convinced that she took it unwittingly. How else would she test positive for it? It's a new drug, and perhaps the tests are imperfect. But you say that ignorance of the drug is not an excuse...yes, if she actually took it, why would she have? It's for people on dialysis, I think. Young women are subject to anemia, but it's not for just that, right? As I said before, she should have a great sports doctor who is conversant with drugs that are on the ban list, or anything close to it, and I have to believe she does. I'll be curious to see how her team mounts their defense against this positive test. Right now, there are more questions than answers.

I guess I'm trying to wrap my head around why she would be so careless on accident or how she could be so stupid to deliberately take it.

OK. Let's try to unpack some of this. The article says she had a positive test result from the USO. Do we know when they tested her at the USO? Was it immediately after her loss at the tennis center, days later from their 3rd party collectors or before she played her first match?
When was her supposed nose surgery? Was it before or after the USO?
Does the article or some other source state how much of the substance was found in her system?
I'm wondering when is the last time she was tested?

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

To be clear about the drug Roxadustat it is used to treat anemia due to kidney disease, and it stimulates the production of hemoglobin and red blood cells as it was discussed previously in this discussion it is a 'performance enhancing drug used by cyclists EPO Blood Doping to increase the red blood cells to get more oxygen
Unless Halep has a kidney disease, which I dont think she has, she used if for 'performance enhancing"

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Kskate2

Simona put a tweet out on September 15 that she had undergone 'nose surgery' she also had a picture of herself, which looked like she was still in hosptial, I would say around 13 or 14th of September she had the surgery stating breathing problems during the USO series.

 

[Moxie]

I guess I'm trying to wrap my head around why she would be so careless on accident or how she could be so stupid to deliberately take it.

OK. Let's try to unpack some of this. The article says she had a positive test result from the USO. Do we know when they tested her at the USO? Was it immediately after her loss at the tennis center, days later from their 3rd party collectors or before she played her first match?
When was her supposed nose surgery? Was it before or after the USO?
Does the article or some other source state how much of the substance was found in her system?
I'm wondering when is the last time she was tested?

Clearly we're all whirling about this. She only survived one round at the USO, and they did say that the bad test was at the USO. She would have played between 29-31 August, and it's hard to think that that's not the window when they would have tested her. Anything else doesn't make sense. As @MargaretMcAleer says, she tweeted some pictures of herself having had some kind of surgery on her nose on 15 Sept., stating breathing problems at the USO. As Margaret also posted, just above, there is no reason for her to use this particular drug, other than performance-enhancing.

I saw no mention of how much of this drug was in her system. However, unless something else she was taking for her nasal surgery, etc. presented itself chemically as this drug, it would seem like she took it. And if she did, it's hard not to think she did it knowingly. It will be interesting to see how her doctors and lawyers mount their defense.

 

[PhiEaglesfan712]

I always felt something didn't seem right about her 2019 Wimbledon title and the way she blew Serena out of the water in the final. This news only raises my suspicions. I'll be so mad if her doping cheated us out of a final slam for Serena.

 

[tented]

I always felt something didn't seem right about her 2019 Wimbledon title and the way she blew Serena out of the water in the final. This news only raises my suspicions. I'll be so mad if her doping cheated us out of a final slam for Serena.

She must have been tested then, right?

 

[tented]

Exactly. If whoever is treating her isn't her regular doctor, I'd be surprised. And if her regular doctor isn't some version of a sports medicine specialist, with full knowledge of banned substances so they can avoid them, then she's an idiot.

Yes, Cilic threw his mother under the bus and said he'd told her to get him an OTC hydration drink or something. However, they DID lower his suspension. It seems if you just find an excuse and stick to it, they lower your suspension time.

And don’t forgot Robert Farah — a suspicious incident, similar to Cilic’s.