Simona Halep has had her four-year doping ban reduced to nine months and she can now make an immediate return to tennis.
The former Wimbledon champion had been slapped with the lengthy punishment after two separate violations but she has now been cleared to play again.
Halep tested positive for the banned substance Roxadustat in August 2022 and was later charged with irregularities in her Athlete Biological Passport in May 2023.
But she appealed the four-year ban last October and the Court of Arbitration for Sport has seen fit to reduce the length of the suspension.
Simona Halep has had her four-year ban from tennis reduced to nine months
Getty
The CAS Panel determined that Halep 'on the balance of probabilities' had not purposely taken Roxadustat.
They said the two-time Grand Slam winner 'did bear some level of fault or negligence for her violations' but it was not intentional.
Halep, who always maintained her innocence throughout the process, has not competed since the US Open in 2022.
Part of the statement from the CAS read: "Having carefully considered all the evidence put before it, the CAS panel determined that Ms Halep had established, on the balance of probabilities, that the Roxadustat entered her body through the consumption of a contaminated supplement which she had used in the days shortly before August 29, 2022.
"The Roxadustat, as detected in her sample, came from that contaminated product.
"As a result, the CAS Panel determined that Ms. Halep had also established, on the balance of probabilities, that her anti-doping rule violations were not intentional.
"Although the CAS Panel found that Ms. Halep did bear some level of fault or negligence for her violations, as she did not exercise sufficient care when using the Keto MCT supplement, it concluded that she bore no significant fault or negligence."
The second charge regarding irregularities in Halep's Athlete Biological Passport was dismissed by the CAS Panel.
Halep is now free to play again and may harbour hopes of appearing at the French Open in May.
She won the tournament at Roland Garros in 2018, the first Grand Slam success in her career.
Halep first became world No 1 in 2017 and won her only other Grand Slam title at Wimbledon two years later.
After the four-year ban was announced last September, Halep released a statement professing her innocence.
LATEST SPORTS NEWS:
Simona Halep hasn't played competitive tennis since the US Open in 2022
Getty
She said: "I have devoted my life to the beautiful game of tennis. I take the rules that govern our sport very seriously and take pride in the fact I have never knowingly or intentionally used any prohibited substance.
"I refuse to accept their decision of a four-year ban.
"I believe in a clean sport and in almost two decades as a professional tennis player, through hundreds of tournaments and two Grand Slam titles, I have taken 200 blood and urine tests to check for prohibited substances - all of which have been clean, until August 29, 2022.
Simona Halep won her only Wimbledon title in 2019
Getty
"While I am grateful to finally have an outcome following numerous unfounded delays and a feeling of living in purgatory for over a year, I am both shocked and disappointed by their decision.
"I am eternally grateful for the outpouring of support I have received from my family, friends, and tennis fans around the world.
"I am continuing to train and do everything in my power to clear my name of these false allegations and return to the court."
