Simona Halep: Former world number one provisionally suspended for doping offence

Two-time Grand Slam champion Simona Halep has been suspended from tennis after failing a drug test.

A sample provided by the former world number one tested positive for roxadustat.

Red blood cells in the body are stimulated by the drug roxadustat.

The positive result came as the biggest shock of Halep's life.

"Today begins the hardest match of my life: a fight for the truth," the 31-year-old wrote on Twitter.

I have always believed that cheating is against all the values I have been taught.

I am confused and betrayed by the situation.

Halep, who won the French Open and Wimbledon in the same year, said that she had tested positive for roxadustat and would fight until the end.

She failed a drugs test, making her the highest-profile tennis player to do so.

Halep said it wasn't about titles or money. The love story I have developed with the game of tennis over the last 25 years is at the center of it.

Halep said in September that she had undergone nose surgery to improve her breathing.

Her best Grand Slam result came at Wimbledon, where she reached the semi-finals.

The International Tennis Integrity Agency said that Halep had exercised her right to have her B sample analysed. The medication is used to treat patients with chronic illnesses.

The player is not allowed to participate in or attend any tennis events that are organised by the governing bodies of the sport.