Two-time Grand Slam champion Simona Halep has questioned the “huge difference” in the handling of doping cases in tennis after world number two Iga Swiatek received a one-month ban.
The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) announced this on Thursday Swiatek had accepted a one-month ban after testing positive for the banned substance trimetazidine (TMZ).
Halep, who was out of action for more than 18 months after two separate anti-doping violations, criticized the ITIA for “completely different approaches.”
“I stand there and ask myself, why is there such a big difference in treatment and judgment?” Halep posted on Instagram on Friday.
“I can't find a logical answer and I don't think there can be one. It can only be the ill will of ITIA, the organization that, despite the evidence, did absolutely everything to destroy me.”
Halep was provisionally suspended in October 2022 after testing positive for the banned substance roxadustat – an anemia drug that stimulates the production of red blood cells in the body.
The Romanian was later banned for four years – a time that was shortened to nine months in March after an appeal to the International court of Arbitration for Sport
Halep always maintained her innocence and argued that she had taken a contaminated dietary supplement.
“I lost two years of my career, I lost many nights where I couldn’t sleep, thoughts, fears, questions without answers,” said the former world number one.
“How is it possible that ITIA takes completely different approaches to my detriment in identical cases that occur around the same time?”
Swiatek tested positive for the heart drug TMZ in an out-of-competition sample in August 2024, when she was world number one.
The ITIA accepted that the five-time major winner's breach was caused by contamination of the regulated non-prescription drug melatonin, manufactured and sold in Poland, which Swiatek blamed for jet lag and sleep problems.
An ITIA spokesman told BBC Sport there were “very important differences” between Halep's case and Swiatek's.
“No two cases are the same, the circumstances are often different and direct comparisons are not always helpful,” the ITIA said.
“The product contaminated in Ms. Swiatek’s case was a regulated drug, not a dietary supplement.”
Swiatek's suspension comes after Jannik Sinner, number 1 in the men's world rankings tested positive for Clostebol in March.
Although the ITIA accepted that the 23-year-old Italian was not accused of “fault or negligence”, the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) has confirmed this appealed to Cas.
The ITIA said: “We treat each case based on the facts and evidence, not a player’s name, ranking or nationality. If a banned substance is found in a player’s system, we investigate it thoroughly.”
“We advise players to exercise extreme caution when taking supplements and are happy to answer any questions they may have.”
