By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Tuesday, March 19, 202
Caroline Wozniacki and Simona Halep share the rare experience of reaching world No. 1.
The pair part dramatically on their wild card views.
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In the aftermath of her 6-4, 6-1 win over Clara Burel in Miami today, Wozniacki was asked her reaction to Halep’s Miami Open comeback from a doping suspension.
Halep successfully appealed her four-year doping ban to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, winning a reduced sentence of four months that enabled her to return to tennis in Miami.
Wozniacki says she opposes awarding wild cards to players who have served doping suspensions and believes Halep should “work your way up from the bottom.”
“Well, first of all, I’ve always liked Simona. We’ve always had a good relationship,” Wozniacki told the media in Miami. “I think my view on doping is the same. I have always wanted a clean sport, fair for everybody. I think it’s definitely still my opinion.
“Again, this is not directly at Simona, but if someone purposely cheats, if someone has tested positive for doping… I understand why a tournament wants a big star in the tournament, but it’s my personal belief, and it’s not a knock on anyone, but it’s my personal belief that I don’t think people should be awarded wild cards afterwards.”
The 32-year-old Halep followed Wozniacki on Grandstand Court and won the first set before bowing to former No. 2 Paula Badosa 1-6, 6-4, 6-3.
Informed of Wozniacki’s comments, Halep replied: “I’m not a cheater” adding “only one person being negative about me is not that important.”
“But why? I didn’t do anything wrong,” Halep said when told of Wozniacki’s comments. “I didn’t cheat. I didn’t dope. So it’s better if we read the decision from CAS that it was a contaminated supplement, it wasn’t doping.
“I never had something to do with doping. I never doped, so I’m not a cheater. Thank you to the tournament for giving me the wild card and have the possibility to play in such a big tournament. It was great to be back. Only one person being negative about me is not that important because I have hundreds of people that giving me love, so I will take that.”
The two-time Grand Slam champion Halep tested positive for the banned drug Roxadustat at the 2022 US Open. Roxadustat is legitimately used for the treatment of anaemia but is on the WADA Prohibited Substance list as a blood doping agent, which…
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