Simona Halep
The fans still haven’t forgotten the hardships that Simona Halep had to go through during her doping case. The WTA star was imposed with a ban because of being tested for the drug Roxadustat. However, she finally managed to get all the charges cleared after the trials and seeks her position back in the game. While she somehow navigated out of the troubles, the wrath now chases the 18-year-old Czech player, Nikola Bartunkova.
Besides the legal aspects of the case, the fans got a chance to closely review the emotional troubles that Halep went through during her time. Replicating the same levels of stress, Bartunkova recently shared her side of the story, mentioning how it is an extremely difficult situation for her. “I am completely shocked by this situation. I feel innocent, I have never knowingly consumed any banned substance,” she shared.
Giving fans a deeper dive into the current situation, the Czech WTA star explained how she is trying to go through a tough road to walk free. “We are now investigating all possibilities of how the banned substance could have entered my body and we will do everything to have the temporary suspension lifted as soon as possible,” she added.
While the 18-year-old finds herself in a terrible situation at the initial phase of her career, her story closely resembles that of Simona Halep and her trial involving renowned coach Patrick Mouratoglou. Although she is facing a temporary ban, the budding star still carries hope to get out of it as soon as possible so that she can get back on track to build her professional career.
The process that made the authorities impose a ban on Nikola Bartunkova
Although the post-action story of Nikola Bartunkova seems to be quite similar to that of Simona Halep, the substance that brought her into a situation of doubt stands to be different. According to an official statement released on 9th May, out of the two samples (A and B) taken from the WTA star, “A samples contained trimetazidine, which is prohibited under the TADP, in the category of hormone and metabolic modulators (section S4 (4.4) of the 2024 Prohibited List).”
The drug found in her samples is generally used for heart problems and also possesses the ability to enhance blood flow. While Bartunkova sticks to the fact that she has no idea how the banned substance showed up in her body, she has been offered a “short deadline” to explain the reasons behind the positive results. Now that she finds herself stuck in a difficult situation, it still remains to be seen if she will get herself free from the accusations.
