Patrick McEnroe Talks Simona Halep on Holding Court

The tennis world was caught by storm at the news of Simona Halep's positive drug test for a banned substance, so it should not be a surprise that Holding Court host Patrick McEnroe weighed in on the situation on a recent episode of his podcast. 

McEnroe stated his belief that Halep bears some responsibility for the suspension, regardless of the fact that she is a polite, respected athlete. Being nice is "neither here nor there when it comes to whether or not she actually took the drug," McEnroe said.

The International Tennis Integrity Agency said Halep, the No. 9 player in the WTA, tested positive for a banned substance called roxadustat. Halep is now ineligible to compete in or attend any event that is organized by the governing bodies of the sport. She called the impending battle with the anti-doping agency the "hardest match of [her] life." 

McEnroe called attention to her statement in this tweet, pointing out that she did not actually deny taking the drug.

"She is not saying [that] she didn't take the drug," he said. "At least in her comment, she is saying that she never knowingly took any prohibited substance."

McEnroe, addressing the speculation that someone could have given Halep the illegal substance without her knowing, said proof of this could perhaps make her ban "not quite as serious," though he did emphasize that Halep is still responsible for the situation.

"[It's] very, very open for debate [of] what could have happened here," he said. "But again, you can't really speculate on how she got it or what happened there. So, I don't think we should say that Simona, in this case, is a 'victim.' Again, you have to be, as an athlete, responsible."

For more tennis news and analysis, listen and subscribe to Holding Court with Patrick McEnroe here.