Former American tennis star Jimmy Arias suggests Simona Halep getting into the International Tennis Hall of Fame is not a sure thing because her doping case might impact the voting she will get.
On Tuesday evening, the 33-year-old put an end to her great career after playing one last time in front of her home fans in Cluj-Napoca.
Although the last few years weren’t the best for the Romanian on or off the court, that doesn’t change the fact that she accomplished some outstanding things during her career.
When Halep retired, she walked away from pro tennis with two Grand Slams and 64 weeks spent at the world No. 1 position.
Simona Halep© YouTube screenshot
Also, she made Romanian tennis history by becoming the first female player from her country to win Wimbledon and the first to reach the top spot since the introduction of the rankings in 1975.
On paper, Halep has done more than enough to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
But there’s that infamous doping saga, against which she battled so hard to clear her name.
Arias: I wouldn’t want to vote for Halep, there’s an asterisk next to her game
“I wouldn’t want to, there’s obviously an asterisk next to her name. You’re always going to think about it,” the former world No. 5 said on Tennis Channel when asked if he would vote for the former two-time Grand Slam winner to get into the Tennis Hall of Fame.
“The results are there, the titles are there. The 40 million in prize money will still be there, which is nice for her.
“But it’s difficult because there’s that question mark of ‘did she do it fair and square or was there a little edge’ and how many matches was it? We kind of don’t know the answer.
“So it just makes it difficult, and I’m glad I’m not someone that votes on who gets in the Hall of Fame.”
Meanwhile, the ITIA accepted that Halep’s positive test for Roxadustat was likely the result of a contamination but she still received a four-year ban.
After the Romanian appealed to the CAS, the investigation confirmed that a contaminated product was to blame – and although it was determined that the former world No. 1 “bore no fault or negligence” – it was noted that she should have been more careful.
Following the CAS investigation, Halep’s four-year ban was reduced to nine months and she was allowed to instantly return to tennis.
Tennis World USA