Simona Halep's former coach Darren Cahill has jumped to the Romanian's defence after the former Wimbledon and French Open champion failed a drug test.
Cahill said Halep's "integrity is faultless" and insisted there was "no chance" she would have deliberately or wittingly taken a banned substance.
It was made public on Friday that 31-year-old Halep tested positive for roxadustat while competing at the US Open in August.
Halep, who has been provisionally suspended, said she felt "confused and betrayed" by the news. She has not explained why, or by whom, she senses a betrayal.
She now risks a ban from tennis and faces a battle to clear her name, which she has said she is determined to achieve.
Cahill was Halep's coach when she landed her first grand slam title at Roland Garros in 2018, and he pointed to his experience of an athlete who was meticulous about checking anything she ingested.
He wrote in a statement posted on Instagram: "Firstly, and most importantly, there is NO chance Simona knowingly or purposely took any substance on the banned list. None. Zero.
"She is an athlete that stressed about anything prescribed to her by a medical professional [which was rarely], or about any supplement that she used or considered. Simona wore out the words 'please double check this, triple check this to make sure it’s legal, safe and permitted. If you are not sure, I'm not taking it.'"
Australian Cahill has also worked with players including Lleyton Hewitt, Ana Ivanovic, Andy Murray and Andre Agassi. He rates Halep as a player and person of the highest order.
When they stopped working together in September 2021, Halep thanked Cahill "for making me a better tennis player and a better person".
Cahill wrote on Sunday: "Simona's integrity is faultless, she respects her peers, she loves the game and she always has her feet firmly planted on the ground as a humble, approachable champion.
"Honesty has always been her greatest strength and her biggest weakness. We would often laugh about the fact that she can't act and can't tell a little white lie.
"She wears her mood on her shoulder for the world to see, for good and for bad. That is Simo. What you see is what you get. She built an amazing career and legacy by doing things the hard way. The right way.
"Due process will now follow to reveal answers to many questions. As Simona said, the hardest match of her life starts now. I believe in her. I always have and can honestly say never more than right now on this particular issue. I stand with Simo."
Alcaraz turns on the style to beat Korda at Roland Garros
Carlos Alcaraz dug deep to overcome a spirited performance from Sebastian Korda in the third round of the French Open, claiming a 6-4 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 win.
Korda failed to build on an early break as Alcaraz took the opener on Court Philippe-Chatrier, but he appeared to have the Spaniard on the ropes when he forced a second-set tie-break.
However, the two-time grand slam champion clinched the tie-break with a huge forehand winner and seemed to grow in stature from there, moving well and displaying too much power for his American opponent.
Alcaraz put Korda under pressure from the off in the third set and did not give up a single break point on his own serve, converting the first of two match points with a neat serve and volley.
He will face either Ben Shelton or Felix Auger-Aliassime next, with Stefanos Tsitsipas potentially lurking in the quarter-finals.
Data Debrief: Alcaraz just too good
As was the case against Jesper de Jong in round two, Alcaraz looked to be under serious pressure on Friday, only to step things up and pull away from his opponent.
He has now won 14 of his 17 singles matches at the French Open, with his win ratio of 82.4 per cent the third highest among active male players, after Rafael Nadal (96.6 per cent) and Novak Djokovic (85.3 per cent).
Swiatek celebrates birthday with routine win over Bouzkova
Iga Swiatek marked her 23rd birthday with a straight-sets victory over Marie Bouzkova at the French Open on Friday, maintaining her charge for a third successive Roland-Garros title.
Swiatek was pushed all the way by Naomi Osaka in her second-round match on Wednesday, but she enjoyed a far more serene outing on Court Philippe-Chatrier in the third round.
The world number one raced to a 6-4 6-2 win as Bouzkova struggled to match her heavy-hitting, and she could even afford to surrender one of her two breaks at the tail end of the opener.
Swiatek broke immediately at the start of the second set, setting the tone for a powerful finish to the match, her victory fittingly sealed with a thumping forehand up the line.
She will face Anastasia Potapova next up after the Russian overcame Wang Xinyu in three sets on Friday.
Data Debrief: Perfect celebration for Swiatek
Since the WTA rankings were first published in 1975, only two world number ones have won a match at Roland Garros on their birthday, Justine Henin in 2007 and Swiatek on Friday.
She is also the only player this century to reach the fourth round of the women's draw on each of her first six French Open appearances.
Sinner maintains fine form with routine Kotov win
Jannik Sinner maintained his excellent form and cruised into the fourth round of the French Open with a dominant win over Pavel Kotov on Friday.
The Australian Open champion won his third successive match without dropping a set at Roland Garros, triumphing 6-4 6-4 6-4 in just under two and a half hours on court.
Sinner – who is eyeing Novak Djokovic's place at the top of the ATP rankings – was on top from the off and forced 13 break points, moving well and forcing the issue with a series of powerful ground strokes.
Early breaks did the trick in sets one and two, and it was smooth sailing once he secured another break five games into the third, teeing up a fourth-round meeting with either Corentin Moutet or Sebastian Ofner.
Data Debrief: Sinner marches on
Sinner has now won his first 10 grand slam matches of 2024, and a deep run looks extremely likely just one year after he suffered a second-round exit in the French capital.
Since the turn of the century, he is just the third man to start a calendar year with 10 straight major wins before turning 23 years old, after Rafael Nadal and Djokovic.
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