SUMMARY
- Maria Sara Popa has caused shockwaves across the tennis world with her allegations about Mouratoglou's Academy.
- Maria Sara Popa has retracted her stand on Mouratoglou's Academy in an Instagram post.
The case of Simona Halep has been in the news for a long time now. Halep is expected to return to the tour this month. But the case is not as simple as it looks. New links have been found to the case, and more players have been opening up about their experiences. Maria Sara Popa has accused the Mouratoglou Academy of playing an active role in the doping controversy.
The Mouratoglou academy is run by Patrick Mouratoglou, who has trained top players on the tour. Popa had spoken about the substances handed out at the Mouratoglou Academy. She said, “There are athletes who take those substances, only they don’t get caught because they know exactly when to eliminate the substance and they know exactly when to take them,” via iAm SPORT. Popa retracted her words a few days later.
View this post on Instagram
The 18-year-old, in an Instagram post, apologized to Mouratoglou and his academy. She said that she was not part of the academy and had only played in an event organized by them in 2018. There have been questions about Popa withdrawing her earlier statements. She has allegedly been issued a letter from Mouratoglou Academy regarding a lawsuit.
News articles published about Popa on the News365 website were removed later. Sources from the website confirmed they had been contacted by Mouratoglou Academy and had been threatened with a lawsuit. The focus of the case is on Mouratoglou, as there could be more to uncover about his influence in the sport. The twist around Popa’s story has only made the allegations more problematic.
Maria Sara Popa and her family deny involvement with Mouratoglou Academy
Mouratoglou has been under the scanner since Halep was accused of taking banned substances by the ITIA. While Halep is now preparing to play at the Miami Open, her former coach seems to be in trouble. Mouratoglou and his academy have been contacting players and new outlets, which have been publishing stories of their role in giving substances to the players.
Popa is distancing herself from further controversies. Her father has denied the claims of Popa talking about Mouratoglou and wants his daughter to continue her career without disturbance. Upon asking about the allegations made by Popa, Raul Popa said, “Stop calling us, let us perform. You made a monstrous scandal without my girl saying anything about Mouratoglou.” Raul was not interested in further questions.
The world No.471 reportedly has been contacted by the ITIA regarding her earlier statements about the Mouratoglou Academy. A few more players are to be contacted to learn about the claims she made. Investigations may happen as the ITIA and the WADA will seek evidence on the issue.
