Coach Darren Cahill: There is no chance Simona Halep cheated

• Tennis News
• WTA Tennis

Coach Darren Cahill reveals Simona Halep's team figured out how Roxadustat got into Halep's system and underlined that "there is no chance the Romanian cheated." In October, the ITIA announced Halep was being provisionally suspended after testing positive for anti-anemia drug Roxadustat.

Cahill enjoyed a successful partnership with Halep in the past as he guided the Romanian to two Grand Slam titles and the world No 1 ranking. "I understood they found the source of the contamination, not sure if it was in food or supplements, but they found out where it came from.

There's no chance she cheated. She's a great person, no chance that she did the wrong thing. I wish her good luck," Cahill told The Big Deal.

Halep: The biggest shock of my life

Throughout her entire career, Halep has been considered the model of how one tennis player should act on and off the court.

After the ITIA announced her doping suspension, Halep described it as the biggest shock of her life and also vowed to fight with all her powers to clear her name. "Today begins the hardest match of my life: a fight for the truth.

I have been notified that I have tested positive for a substance called Roxadustat in an extremely low quantity, which came as the biggest shock of my life. Throughout my whole career, the idea of cheating never even crossed my mind once, as it is totally against all values I have been educated with.

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 and I have faith that sooner or later, the truth will come out.

It's not about the titles or the money. It's about honour, and the love story I have developed with the game of tennis over the last 25 years," Halep said in a statement in October. It remains to be seen when will Halep be allowed to return.