Serena Williams: ‘This is so embarrassing, she never knew how to fail’

Modified at 10:44 GMT on September 14, 2023

Serena Williams caused quite a stir with a cryptic social media post on Tuesday, September 12. Many fans speculated that the American might have been targeting Simona Halep for her post.

Williams, who has been a regular presence on social media since retiring in 2022, posted a text message on X (formerly Twitter) without any context.

“Eight is a better number,” she wrote.

The timing of the post is interesting for many fans. Just an hour ago, Simona Halep was handed a four-year ban by the ITIA (International Tennis Integrity Agency) for violating the sport’s anti-doping program.

Halep famously defeated Williams in the 2019 Wimbledon final, depriving her of her eighth Wimbledon title.

In this case, one fan responded to Williams’ post, saying that the 41-year-old was unable to control his urge to fight back against Halep.

“She just couldn’t control her shade,” they wrote.

Meanwhile, another fan criticized Williams’ apparent dig at Halep.

“This is so embarrassing, she never knew how to lose… USO 18 is the perfect example,” they wrote.

Tennis journalist Jose Morgado posted a screenshot of Serena Williams’ Twitter activity to support the theory that her post was indeed directed at Halep. Morgado pointed out that Americans liked Nicole Gibbs’ post, where she expressed disappointment in Romanians’ behavior.

“Serena ‘liked’ this tweet too…” Morgado wrote.

Here’s more reaction from the tennis world:

Serena Williams’ bid for a record-tying 24th Grand Slam ended by Simona Halep in the 2019 Wimbledon final

Serena Williams suffered the worst championship loss of her career to date in 2019. She lost the Wimbledon final to Simona Halep in just 56 minutes, winning just four games throughout the tournament.

The loss was particularly surprising at the time, considering the American had defeated Halep in 10 of the 11 meetings that year leading up to the SW19 finals.

Serena Williams reached another Grand Slam final at the 2019 US Open, but she was beaten by the fast-rising Bianca Andreescu. If the American wins at Wimbledon or New York, she will equal Margaret Court’s record of 24 major titles.

However, she soon made amends, going all the way at the 2020 ASB Classic, defeating Jessica Pegula in straight sets to win the 98th title of her illustrious career. The 41-year-old struggled with form and various injuries over the next two years before retiring at the 2022 US Open.