Simona Halep’s former coach says ‘no chance’ the two-time grand slam champion knowingly took banned substance
The former coach of Simona Halep is adamant he did not know about Halep’s use of cocaine and says he still hopes she can be champion in 2017.
Andreas Seppi, who coached Halep from 2009 to 2010, admits he would expect better from the Ukrainian star, who is facing an indefinite ban from the sport after being given two months’ suspension for a positive test for cocaine.
Seppi, in an interview with the Times of India on Tuesday, said that Halep was the “type of person who would never deliberately take drugs”, especially if she had been using them for years.
“I am still hopeful but this is a very difficult thing. It’s not easy for someone the calibre of Simona Halep to get banned for one month and then go back. The fact is that her own father is on the list of banned substances. For Simona’s sake, I hope she will be back on track soon. She will be able to do something special in 2017,” Seppi said.
Seppi says it is possible that Halep, who has won the French Open and the Wimbledon title in the past few years, might even be allowed to compete in WTA events in 2017.
“I hope to be wrong, of course. But if someone who is so talented and has been working so hard for so long to get to this stage, that they can be suspended for just one month for use of cocaine, it just proves that we’re just talking hypotheticals and we don’t know what will happen.
“I think it’s very difficult to make assumptions, especially considering that she is also banned in the US. I hope and pray Simona will get back on track soon. My own personal opinion is that she’ll be back but I also hope that they’ll give her an opportunity to compete in
