Players often lose sponsors when faced with doping allegations. Simona Halep‘s uphill battle to return to competition serves as an inspiring narrative of perseverance showcased in a recent advertisement for a Romanian bank.
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The former world No.1 Halep, who received a four-year ban for taking prohibited substance roxadustat, continues her struggle to clean her name and sends an inspirational message in a commercial for Banca Transilvania. Running uphill with a determined look on her face, Halep says:
The hard path is to continue, even if you don’t know where it goes. And it means to fight, even when it seems you’re not winning. It’s not easy, but I must face it.
The ad was filmed in Dubai. It features other prominent athletes such as former tennis player Horia Tecau and legendary Romanian soccer player Gheorghe Hagi.
Halep’s troubles began when she tested positive for roxadustat at the 2022 US Open. Her suspension remained provisional for a long year, when the decision was finally made that her intake of the anti-anaemia drug was intentional and she received a four-year ban for two breaches of the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme (TADP). Continuing to insist on her innocence, Halep submitted an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) as her last hope. (source: Tennis World USA)
