“There is no problem stripping dirty athletes of their titles, points and bonuses”

Modified at 02:39 GMT on October 12, 2023

Tennis journalist Jon Wertheim gives his opinion on Simona Halep’s doping ban and Serena Williams’ reaction to it.

Last month, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) slapped Halep with a four-year tennis ban for breaching the sport’s anti-doping program. She tested positive for Roxadustat, a banned substance, at the 2022 U.S. Open and has been on temporary suspension ever since.

A separate tribunal investigated and banned Halep from any tennis-related activities for four years. The tribunal said in a statement that the Romanian “willfully violated anti-doping regulations”, which was confirmed by analysis of 51 blood samples she provided as part of her athlete’s biological passport.

After the news was announced, there were mixed reactions from players, experts and fans. Former world number one Serena Williams is one of them and she uploaded a cryptic post on social media.

“Eight is a better number,” Williams wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

Halep and Williams squared off in the 2019 Wimbledon final, with Halep defeating the American 6-2, 6-2 to deny her eighth title at SW19.

When a fan asked whether tennis should follow the lead of athletics and strip titles from players who fail doping tests and award the trophy to the runner-up, Jon Wertheim agreed, but only if there was sufficient evidence.

Wertheim said there was no evidence Halep cheated when she beat Williams in the 2019 Wimbledon final and there was no reason to investigate.

“We should not hesitate to strip dirty athletes of their titles, points and prize money. But this needs to be supported by evidence. There is no suggestion Simona Halep cheated in 2019, the year she reached the Wimbledon final Beat Serena,” he said. (via Sports Illustrated)

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‘I was told that the players hated me because I beat them’ – Simona Halep on Serena Williams and others mocking her

Simona Halep has responded to statements from Serena Williams and her husband Alexis Ohanian, among others, shortly after they took digs at her over her four-year doping ban .

While the Romanian agreed that everyone has the right to judge her, she added that some of the players who vented their anger on her simply did so because of losing to her on the WTA Tour over the years.

“I think everyone has the right to judge me because the court found me at fault. I was told today that those players hated me because I beat them,” she told Front Office Sports.