Tennis News: Simona Halep and Holger Rune

Simona Halep got to do some bittersweet celebrating this week after learning that her four-year suspension for testing positive for the banned substance Roxadustat had been shortened to nine months. This means Halep can return to the WTA tour right away. She had long claimed innocence for intentionally taking the substance and her coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, admitted he likely accidentally gave Halep some collagen that contained Roxadustat.

What is not yet known is how the other WTA players will react to Halep when she does return. Some players might still think Halep did something to try to get ahead. Roxadustat is used to battle anemia which helps create red blood cells. That means a player might have an artificially heightened level of endurance due to increased oxygen from the abundance of red blood cells.

It will help Halep that she had the support of tennis great such as Chris Evert. Evert posted on social media previously that she did not think Halep's long ban was warranted. On Tuesday, Evert tweeted that she "always believed in (Halep's) innocence!"

Simona Halep responds and Holger Rune gives back

Halep also responded after learning of the suspension being reduced and she said in a statement, "My faith in the process was tested by the scandalous accusations that were leveled against me, and by the seemingly unlimited resources that were aligned against me. I cannot wait to return to the tour." Many fans cannot wait either.

In other positive news, Holger Rune is going to do a good thing based partly on how well he does at Indian Wells. For every ace that Rune hits, he will donate what equates to $364 to an organization named Borns Vilkar. This is a foundation that helps children in need.

Rune has previously supported children's charities as well. To be fair, he does sometimes come across as an arrogant player. Coaches seem to have difficulties finding the time to stay with the young Dane. But that is all about tennis, of course. Off the court, Holger Rune seems to be a pretty decent person.

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