The two-time Grand Slam champion Simona Halep has been away from tennis for over a year. Her doping trial verdict was postponed thrice for different reasons, and when the decision was finally announced, it came as a huge relief. But it was short-lived. The Romanian champion has been declared guilty. In rapid succession, Halep’s professional rivals continued to slam her on social media. One of the most noteworthy names here included the American G.O.A.T. Serena Williams. Now, her husband, Alexis Ohanian, has joined in as well.

The Reddit co-founder did not spare the 31-year-old Halep, and Serena joined Ohanian in criticizing the doping-banned professionals. The couple took social media by storm with their sly dig at Halep by drawing another infamous doping reference.

Serena Williams and Alexis Ohanian possibly took a veiled jibe at Simona Halep

The amount of subtle trolling that Halep is facing has been off the charts, and negativity surrounds her in all directions – especially on social media. The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) issued a 4-year ban on the Romanian as they concluded their deliberations on her doping charges. Post this revelation, the internet entrepreneur compared two former World No. 1 players who tested positive for doping.

Ohanian posted a picture of himself on X (formerly known as Twitter) from a match between Serena and Maria Sharapova. It was the first round of the 2019 US Open in which the Russian faced the American for the first time after serving out a 15-month suspension for using meldonium. Ohanian captioned the post, “Some fashion is timeless.” Serena quickly jumped in with her support, “Seriously not out of style.”

The power couple was quite possibly referring to the unethical practice of doping as the ‘fashion.’ If so, their comments indicate that it may still be a trend in the community. Though Serena dominates in head-to-head records over Sharapova and Halep, their doping results hurt the 23-time Grand Slam champion; their wayward means denied her multiple opportunities to shatter records.

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Reportedly, Serena was also tested more frequently than many other players on the circuit. Perhaps it isn’t surprising that she has been critical about such issues, after all. The most Grand Slams winner among women in the Open Era expressed her frustration over anti-doping authorities after she gave birth due to the number of doping tests the new mommy underwent.

ReRe voiced out concerns about repeated doping tests and discrimination

In 2018, Serena decided to end the discrimination she faced. The tennis queen vented her feelings on Twitter after a visit from the anti-doping squad. She was tested more than her compatriots, Sloane Stephens and sister Venus Williams. Serena had an incredible run during pregnancy.

Momma Smash left no stone unturned in reigning the sport after delivering Olympia. So the then 38-year-old champion revealed that she had been tested five times before June 2018 and lashed at the authorities for showing up randomly and earlier than the expected arrival time.

The revolutionary sports icon had been the subject of discrimination multiple times. Ever since she stepped into professional tennis, Serena faced racial discrimination and body shaming and was picked critically for her on-court attitude, no matter how irrelevant it was. This explains Serena’s stance on Halep’s ban. But is she right in taking a jibe at her? Let us know in the comments.

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