Responses to Simona Halep’s suspension flooded in, evoking emotions ranging from sorrow and indignation to farewell messages from peers. Notably, Serena Williams, a seven-time Wimbledon singles champion, left a cryptic remark, stating “8 is a superior number,” in light of Halep’s ban.

For tennis enthusiasts, Serena’s statement may signify her pursuit of her 24th Grand Slam title and an eighth Wimbledon victory. Halep had previously defeated Serena in the 2019 Wimbledon final.

It’s worth mentioning that the 23-time Grand Slam winner has reached numerous finals, and Wimbledon 2019 presented an opportunity for her to match Margaret Court’s record of 24 titles, surpassing Novak Djokovic. However, Serena had to set aside her aspirations in light of Halep’s situation.

Halep has secured victory in two Grand Slam tournaments, namely the 2018 French Open and the 2019 Wimbledon. However, during the US Open 2022, the Romanian tennis player was found to have tested positive for the banned substance roxadustat.

Following this, anomalies were observed in her athlete biological passport following the analysis of samples.

Roxadustat, despite being legally used to treat anemia, is included in the World Anti-Doping Agency’s list of prohibited substances due to its classification as a performance-enhancing something that boosts erythropoietin and cell production.

Serena Williams also stood by her opponent’s side and supported it when Sharapova called the two-year ban “extremely harsh”