Halep confirmed she has tested positive for Roxadustat, a prohibited anti-anemia drug recently approved for medical use in the European Union.
According to the EU’s medicines agency, which approved Roxadustat last year, it stimulates the body to produce more of the natural hormone erythropoietin, or EPO.
EPO has long been a doping product favoured by cyclists and distance runners owing to its ability to enhance the production of red blood cells and improve the flow of oxygen to muscles.
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Medvedev, Alcaraz, Sinner etc will be fun to watch at Melbourne Park. The recently-completed US Open was a fantastic tournament despite the absence of Djokovic
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New Australian Open lead-up tournament to launch at the end of the year and go into the New Year taking place in Brisbane, Perth and Sydney
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And for the first time with a naming rights sponsor?
IIRC Kooyong Classic had a naming rights sponsor when it was last held in 2020.
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Australia will face Spain (led by Rafael Nadal) and Great Britain in Group D of United Cup, based in Sydney.
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Guardian Australia understands the immigration minister, Andrew Giles, will give Djokovic a visa, overturning a three-year ban that accompanied the decision by the previous government to cancel his visa on the eve of the 2022 open.
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Finally sanity prevails
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I don’t want him to win ,it’s more interesting in men’s tennis when there’s a new Grand Slam Champion
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Sad, I always enjoyed the Hopman Cup tournament in Perth, it was a perfect entree to the Australian Open. Its new incarnation at Nice is held inbetween Wimbledon and the US Open.
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Damn. 
I liked Hopman cup. I remember going to some games back in the day before I moved to the UK.
Problem is that many French tennis fans will not have heard of Harry Hopman (whom the tournament is named after), and why Nice was chosen to host the tournament. The organisers have their work cut out to promote the event in the next few months.
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Ash Barty edged out Nick Kyrgios to win the Newcombe Medal. She also presenting the Spirit of Tennis award to her idol Evonne Goolagong Cawley at tonight’s ceremony, in a return gesture from January this year when Goolagong Cawley presented the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup to Barty at the Australian Open women’s singles final.
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Quite extraordinary 
I read someone online commenting along the lines of legends such as her will always be afforded an opportunity like this until the day they retire, naturally she would be kicking herself not to.
She’s 42 years old and marks 25 years since first heading down under to Melbourne for the Grand Slam.
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