Times are tough for Simona Halep. The Romanian, who ruled the WTA roster in the mid-2010s and won multiple grand slams, has found the road bumpy to traverse in the past few months. From ungracefully getting evicted from the 2022 US Open to getting a devastating ban implemented on her, the 32-year-old is struggling to survive in the competitive waters of the tennis world.
As she vehemently fights her case for the aforementioned ban, Simona has been handed another body blow when a renowned watchmaker brand dropped her from its partnership list, probably as a result of her current troubles.
Hublot breakup adds to Halep’s financial woes
Financially speaking, Simona Halep is knee-deep in trouble. After the reality of her ban hit her, Simona immediately put up her houses for sale. Not earning a pie from her preferred choice of profession should affect the Romanian emotionally.
In another instance of Simona Halep’s financial woes increasing in intensity, watchmaker Hublot dropped the ex-Wimbledon champ from its partnership list. While Simona hasn’t officially commented on the recent update from Hublot, she did take to Instagram to share a story recently, where she posted a special piece she got from Hublot on which the following message lays grave: “Congrats on your number 1 ranking.”
Hublot hasn’t also released any official statement on the issue but its current partnership list includes the likes of Novak Djokovic, Karolina Pliskova, Borna Coric, and Elina Svitolina.
“As an athlete driven by the ambition to make history in tennis, I am particularly proud of the opportunity to join the Hublot family,” Djokovic was quoted as saying by Hublot.
Simona Halep received a four-year ban for anti-doping violations
After she was reprimanded following her 2022 US Open exit for doping violations, Simona Halep was quickly put into a state of turmoil when she was suspended from the sport during investigations.
The subsequent result of the investigation was devastating for the Romanian as he was handed a four-year ban for consuming the banned drug roxadustat.
Simona Halep pleaded her case by saying it was accidental and was the wrong prescription from her doctor but her pleas fell on deaf ears. Now, the ex-Roland Garros champion has approached the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and is awaiting its verdict on her ban.
Her coach, Patrick Moratoglou, recently spoke to the media where he felt responsible for Simona’s situation.
“We have been able to establish where the contamination comes from. So we proposed her to take collagen and we brought her collagen from a company. This collagen happened to be contaminated, there was no way to know it. But I feel responsible for what happened because it’s my team,” he said.
Simona’s ban means the Romanian will make a comeback in 2026 and will be 36 years old by the time she returns.
What are your opinions on Simona Halep’s worsening situation? Will she get a response from the CAS? Let us know in the comments section below.
