Serena Williams’ cryptic tweet after Simona Halep’s four-year ban is being perceived as a jibe at the Romanian. She had previously also taken a brutal dig at Maria Sharapova, who was banned for similar reasons. The American said if any players use PEDS (Performance Enhancing Drugs), they invariably get caught.
Sharapova received a two-year ban in 2016, later reduced to 15 months. Williams supported her initially but later expressed her discontent with the duration of the punishment handed out in a sly manner.
When Serena Williams slyly mocked Maria Sharapova’s ban duration
In 2016, Maria Sharapova revealed she had failed a drug test at the Australian Open. She had tested positive for meldonium, a drug administered to heart patients which also has performance-enhancing abilities. It was outlawed only on January 1, 2016, and Sharapova claimed she did not know of the new rule and continued taking Mildronate, which contained meldonium, as she had been for 10 years. Initially given a two-year ban, it was reduced to 15 months from the date of her positive test.
In a resurfaced interview from 2020, Serena Williams took a dig at Sharapova’s ban and the length of her sentence. She said that the Russian being a champion on the court does not matter, because, to her, the off-court principles matter more. The 23-time Grand Slam winner said that when people dope, they get caught, slyly adding they get banned for not enough time.
“People say like, she was more than champ on the court. And that’s what I always said, I don’t really care about the results on the court. For me it’s more of the stuff that– what is the purpose of your life? What is that? So that’s why, lot of the stuff really, genuinely doesn’t affect me. And turns out that when people actually are doing drugs, the truth comes out. And then they get banned for not long enough.”
Surprisingly, right after Sharapova’s punishment was announced, Williams stepped up and spoke in her support. She praised her rival for being courageous and admitting her mistakes. The American, however, took multiple jabs at the five-time Grand Slam winner. And now, Halep was not spared of her digs.
Williams also took a dig at Halep’s ban
Two-time year-end No.1 Halep tested positive for the banned substance roxadustat, an anti-anaemia medication that has performance-enhancing properties, after the 2022 US Open. Further, her Athlete Biological Passport, a database of a player’s blood tests, was found to have irregularities. She has not taken to court in the past year due to her ongoing case.
Recently, an independent tribunal announced a four-year ban on the two-time Majors winner. The retroactive ban is enforced from the day of her positive drug test, meaning Halep will be eligible to return in 2026. Halep revealed she plans to appeal the decision.
Williams posted on Twitter (now X), saying “8 is a better number”. It is seen as a dig against Halep, who denied the American her eighth Wimbledon title, defeating her in the 2019 final. Williams may have been asking for Halep to be stripped of her titles.
Serena ended her career with 23 Grand Slam singles titles, one less than the all-time record held by Margaret Court and now, Novak Djokovic. She is unlikely to get her wish, though, since Halep won both her titles years before testing positive. If the Romanian does get stripped of her titles, Williams will get her 24th Majors. She will add more records to her name years after retiring.
