Patrick Mouratoglou joins support of Simona Halep amidst suspension

Patrick Mouratoglou stayed silent for a while, but he has finally come to the defense of Simona Halep.

Halep is provisionally suspended from the WTA Tour after failing a drug test at the U.S. Open this summer. The two-time Grand Slam champion tested positive for a performance-enhancer called Roxadustat, after which a B sample also came back showing it contained the banned substance.

“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 posted on Instagram.

Former coach Darren Cahill was quick to chime in, saying there was “NO chance” the Romanian would ever take a banned performance-enhancing drug. Mouratoglou was slower to offer his thoughts, but he threw his hat into the ring via Instagram earlier this week.

“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,” he wrote. “In almost 30 years of working with hundreds of professional athletes, I have never faced a situation like this.

“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.

“Since Simona’s positive test last week, I have chosen to stay relatively silent. My priority has been to put my energy into helping her and supporting her in establishing the truth every day.

“Knowing Simona so well, I can assure that she is a model of integrity. She is totally against any form of doping, and I know it has never crossed her mind to take any forbidden substance. I trust her 100%. Together, we will fight to prove the truth.”

Ricky contributes to 10sballs.com and also maintains his own tennis website, The Grandstand. You can follow him on twitter at @Dimonator.