NEW YORK: Simona Halep, the former world number one in tennis, has initiated legal action against the Canadian company, Quantum Nutrition, over a nutritional supplement she alleges led to a four-year doping ban that jeopardizes her career.
Halep is pursuing damages exceeding $10 million from Quantum Nutrition, operating under the name Schinoussa Superfoods. This legal action follows her positive test for Roxadustat, a banned substance, during the 2022 U.S. Open. Roxadustat, known for its capacity to boost haemoglobin and red blood cell production, is prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency.
The Romanian athlete asserts that she consumed Schinoussa supplements during the 2022 Flushing Meadows tournament, claiming that the Keto MCT supplement she ingested was contaminated with Roxadustat, a detail undisclosed on the product label.
Maintaining her innocence regarding banned substance use, the two-time Grand Slam champion blames Quantum’s negligence and misrepresentation of the supplement’s legality for tarnishing her reputation and impeding her career trajectory. Seeking punitive damages, Halep has filed a lawsuit in a New York state court in Manhattan.
Quantum Nutrition, headquartered in Scarborough, Ontario, has yet to comment on the legal proceedings initiated by Halep. Its founder previously dismissed her accusations as an attempt to find a scapegoat, asserting that his company is unfairly targeted.
Halep’s legal team is yet to provide additional comments regarding the ongoing litigation. Meanwhile, Halep is appealing the four-year ban imposed by the International Tennis Integrity Agency tribunal, contending that while she was unaware of the supplement’s Roxadustat contamination, the quantity of the drug detected in her urine sample suggests another explanation beyond mere contamination.
