Simona Halep drops truth about what is better than winning Grand Slams

Simona Halep was done. She was past 30 years old and she beginning not to win at the same consistently high level that she had in previous years. It was 2022 and she was nowhere near the No. 1 ranking she had achieved in 2017. Normally, players past 30 don't get suddenly better (unless one is named Novak Djokovic).

She had also tested positive for a banned substance at the 2022 US Open after losing in the first round. She would receive a four-year suspension from the sport. Trying to return in her mid-30s would be nearly impossible, but Halep also felt she had been wronged. She claimed she never intentionally took the banned substance and she should not be suspended.

Later, her coach at the time, Patrick Mouratoglou, would say he was at fault for the player testing positive as he was in charge of her diet. Halep appears to have ingested the substance as part of some collagen she had taken. That is the story, at least.

Simona Halep admits getting her integrity back is more important than winning a Grand Slam

Halep fought her ban, maintained her innocence, and after more than a year, she had the ban overturned and was free to begin tennis again. Being off that much time from the sport can make for a difficult return, though, and Halep has struggled through injuries and form in 2024. She has only played n two matches, none since May, and she lost both times.

Still, Halep getting some semblance of integrity back was the most important thing for her. In a recent interview with We Are Tennis, the Romanian player said that having her suspension lifted, and the charges brought of her cleared, was more important winning any Grand Slam event or becoming No. 1.

Halep said, "It was about integrity, and it was about myself, my person. I have always been honest and correct (in) tennis, to this sport. Even when I was a kid, I was not cheating with, you know, when you run around the court, I never cheated."

Another stressful event that took place during Halep's suspension was when she was hoping to watch Jannik Sinner - Sinner and Halep both have had the same coach, Darren Cahill - at the Paris Masters but she was banned from watching the match in person. Halep is right. That does seem a step too far. Not playing is one thing, but not being able to watch in person is ridiculous.

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