Simona Halep is seeking $10M in damages from a company which she believes produced a contaminated substance that resulted in her suspension from tennis.
The former world No.1 has issued a court filing in New York against Quantum Nutrition, which operates Schinoussa Superfoods. A Canadian-based company which has close links to tennis with the majority of its ambassadors being from the sport, including Davis Cup captain Frank Dancevic and former Grand Slam doubles champion Daniel Nestor. Its founder is John Koveos.
Halep has claimed that the banned substance Roxadustat was detected in the supplements she used from Schinoussa Superfoods. She says a Keto MCT she took contained the substance but it didn’t say so on its label. Roxadustat is a drug used to treat people who have anaemia which increases the levels of haemoglobin and red blood cells.
The Romanian tennis star is currently serving a four-year ban from the sport following her positive test but has maintained her innocence throughout. An independent tribunal agreed that she had taken a contaminated substance but concluded that this would not have resulted in the amount of Roxadustat found in her urine sample. The panel also sided with the views of three experts that irregularities in Halep’s biological passport were due to ‘likely doping.’
In a bid to overturn or reduce her ban, Halep has launched an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport and attended a three-day hearing earlier this month. It is not known when a final decision will be made but she has told the media that she is confident of a positive outcome.
“I had the chance to show my defence and I really believe that the truth is going to come out,” Halep said.
As it currently stands, Halep is banned from playing any tour-level events until 6 October 2026. So far in her career, the 32-year-old has won two Grand Slam titles and held the no.1 ranking for 64 weeks.
Schinoussa Superfoods is yet to publicly respond to the legal case being brought against them.
