By admin 
Simona Halep is one of the most outspoken players when it comes to doping suspensions of other players, but according to Rennae Stubbs she should not be angry with her colleagues.
After more than a year of fighting her legal battle, which ultimately led to her four-year ban by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) being reduced to nine months by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), the Romanian player was hit with devastating news.
Of course, the former WTA world number 1 player doesn’t want any of her colleagues to test positive for a banned substance and have to go through the extremely grueling process like her.
But once they tested positive and she feels like she was treated differently, the Romanian player feels hurt. That happened twice this year.
First, Jannik Sinner tested positive for a banned substance, and a few months later, Iga Swiatek’s positive test was also made public.
Halep felt prompted to issue a public statement following Swiatek’s positive test. She was angry that the Polish player was only suspended for a month, while she had to stay out of the sport for more than a year.
Moreover, Halep subsequently declined to say Swiatek’s name in an interviewsuggesting that she may have been angry with her colleague, even though Swiatek was obviously not directly involved in the decision-making process regarding the length of the suspension.
Of course, former WTA world doubles champion Rennae Stubbs noticed Halep’s comments and she discussed them during the most recent episode of her Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast.
The 53-year-old Australian, who also coached Serena Williams in her coaching career, admitted she was surprised by Halep’s comments and told the Romanian player not to be angry with Swiatek but instead blame the system give.
“I’m a little surprised that Halep is going so hard publicly. I don’t think that’s a good look for her. I think she’s just angry, but don’t be angry at Iga, be angry at the system.”
Stubbs defended Swiatek, who, after testing positive, played within the rules and obviously tried to get the lowest possible penalty.
“Just like them, you know, there are a lot of players who are angry at the player, angry at the system. That’s not the case, it wasn’t their fault. They play within the rules. If they didn’t, they would do that.” don’t play now.”
While it seemed like Halep was angry with Swiatek, their most recent encounter suggested otherwise. The two met at the 2024 World Tennis League in Abu Dhabi, even on opposite sides of the tennis court.
Halep teamed with Jasmine Paolini in a doubles match and took on Swiatek and Paula Badosa. Halep and Paolini won the match 7-5, and then the Romanian player shook Swiatek’s hand respectfully.
In the coming months, Halep will surely be asked about her comments at least once, and she will be given a chance to clarify herself in case she is misunderstood.