Former world No.1 Simona Halep has accused the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) of seeking to further delay her independent tribunal doping hearing and said she is being denied her right to be heard.

The 31-year-old former Wimbledon and French Open champion has been provisionally suspended since October 2022 after testing positive for banned blood-booster roxadustat at the US Open last year.

Halep has strongly denied knowingly taking the banned substance and has said she has evidence to show that small amounts of the anaemia drug entered her system from a licensed supplement that was contaminated.

Last week Halep was charged with a further and separate breach of the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme and asked again to be judged by an independent tribunal.

In a statement posted on Twitter, Halep said that while the ITIA was publicly stating it was committed to engaging her in an “empathetic, efficient and timely manner” they were at the same time requesting the tribunal delay her hearing for a third time.

“I am once again extremely shocked and disappointed by the ITIA’s attitude,” she added.

The ITIA said in a statement that it proposed both charges were heard together to avoid multiple hearings.