Ever since the ban has been put on Simona Halep, there have been many questions about her title wins. She has won two grand slam titles in her career so far. Her second title came at Wimbledon in 2019 while beating Serena Williams in the final. Serena had said that she deserved the title after Halep’s ban was announced. But the Romanian’s former coach, Darren Cahill, stood by her righteous victory over Serena.
Cahill had coached Halep for six years and shared how Halep won the Wimbledon title. He said that Halep was initially struggling at Wimbledon but gained confidence when she reached the last four. Cahill said, “I think if she didn’t win the Roland Garros final the year before she would have never played to that level to win Wimbledon.” Halep had won the French Open in 2018 while beating Sloane Stephens in the final.
Darren Cahill, is the former coach of 2 time major winner & former world #1 @simonahalep On this weeks @advconnors we discuss Halep’s recent 4 year doping suspension, and her plans to take her case to the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) @darren_cahill pic.twitter.com/hXFTWrP9jY
— Brett Connors (@Brett_Connors) September 16, 2023
Halep will be next appealing the case at the Court of Arbitration for Sport. She will be represented by Howard Jacobs, who had also represented Maria Sharapova during her doping case. The CAS has been known to cut down the punishment for athletes but also has the power to extend the number of years of the ban. Halep has also found support within the tour, which will help her fight through the case.
Sorana Cirstea raises voice against critics of Simona Halep
Sorana Cirstea has known Simona Halep since their junior days. Both have been one of the top players from Romania in recent years. Cirseta had reached the quarterfinals of the US Open this year and has been playing the majors since 2008. She and Halep share two victories against each other on the tour. Although both are not close friends on the tour, there has been mutual respect.
Cirseta blasted off the critics when they criticised Halep. The 33-year-old came down hard on Serena when the American posted on X saying that eight is a better number in reference to the ban and the Wimbledon final. Cirseta said that Serena was a great player on the court but was very arrogant when she suffered defeats on tour.
Sorana Cirstea defends Simona Halep after Serena Williams post ‘8 is a better number’:
“Serena as a player was extraordinarily good. As a person, she always had this arrogance. She didn’t accept when someone could beat her or took a title from her.”
(via Sport Romania) pic.twitter.com/YLyqr7OSLL
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) September 19, 2023
Cirstea showed support for her fellow country player by saying that Halep would never knowingly take substances. She also noted that Halep is innocent in this case. In times like these, Halep would be relieved to know that she has got support from her coaches and fellow players. Fans have been waiting for the CAS to make a positive decision.