The 31-year-old Simona Halep has landed in trouble after she tested positive for a banned substance. The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) on Friday handed the provisional suspension to the two-time Grand Slam champion.
The former world No. 1 has reportedly tested positive for Roxadustat. It is a substance in the same category as EPO (Erythropoietin) in WADA’s list of banned substances. Halep had recently ended her season after undergoing nose surgery.
Simona Halep released a statement on Twitter where she vowed to fight in order to clean her name. In the statement, she has written that she will fight to prove that she did not intentionally take any substance that goes against the norms.
While many fans have come forward to show their support for the Romanian star, some trollers have also barged in on the controversial occasion.
Five-time Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova was handed a 15-month suspension from tennis after she admitted to using meldonium, an anti-ischemic drug banned by WADA, in March 2016.
Sharapova and Halep competed in the 2014 French Open final. The former won her fifth and last Grand Slam title by defeating Halep in three sets in a match that made for compelling viewing. Sharapova finished the match 6-4, 6-7 (5-7), 6-4.
A fan of Reddit called that match the “Only all-Doping Grand Slam final” and other fans posted some sly remarks on the cheeky post.
Fans’ reactions to Simona Halep and Maria Sharapova amid the former’s provisional drug ban
Let’s take a look at some of the reactions from fans to the post.
Some fans also replied with facts and drew comparisons between the two incidents.
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