Serena Williams appears to aim dig at Simona Halep as ex-Wimbledon champ is given four-year ban for positive drugs test
SERENA WILLIAMS appeared to take aim at Simona Halep after the Romanian was handed a four-year doping ban.
Two-time Grand Slam champion Halep, 31, tested positive for the prohibited anti-anaemia drug Roxadustat after the 2022 US Open.
On Tuesday, it was confirmed she had been given the lengthy suspension from tennis.
Hours later, Williams seemed to react to the news with a pointed comment on Twitter.
She posted: “8 is a better number.”
The comment is thought to be in reference to Halep’s win over Williams in the 2019 Wimbledon final.
The retired American, 41, was denied an eighth Wimbledon crown and record-equalling 24th Grand Slam as Halep beat her 6-2 6-2 at the All England Club.
Williams ended up retiring in 2022 without any more Slam titles to her name.
But she now appears to feel aggrieved about Halep’s Wimbledon win due to her subsequent failed test.
There is no suggestion Halep will be stripped of the title as a result of the ban.
Roxadustat is on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s banned list due to its ability to increase haemoglobin and red blood cell count – which would be beneficial for an athlete in a cardiovascular-based sport.
The 2019 Wimbledon singles champion, 31, was hit with a provisional suspension by the International Tennis Integrity Agency last October.
The ITIA, upon further investigation, discovered further irregularities in the Romanian’s biological passport.
Halep, who also won the 2018 French Open, revealed in May that her team had discovered that a tainted supplement was the cause of the positive test.
The ITIA accepted her explanation for the violation, but that hasn’t stopped them from slapping her with a four-year suspension.