Simona Halep is receiving a lot of support from all sides during her recent doping controversy, with numerous former players, coaches, and fans standing by her side. But there was a time when the two-time Grand Slam champion herself stood against Maria Sharapova when she made a wild card entry after her suspension for doping.  

A small fraction of the five-time Grand Slam champion fan base is not happy with Halep’s reaction when the Russian was in the exact same spot in 2016. After Sharapova, Halep is the second well-known player to be suspended for using restricted substances. 

Maria Sharapova fans bash Simona Halep

Sharapova fans have dug out the former world number one’s remark from years ago on Reddit. When the former world number one was involved in a similar doping issue in 2016 and even received a suspension. However, unlike Halep, she didn’t get the support of many renowned personalities in the tennis world at the time. After serving her suspension, the Russian tennis star entered the Porsche Grand Prix the following year as a wild card. 

But tennis players like Simona Halep and Alize Cornet, along with others, openly criticized the tennis icon’s return to the sport. Although the situation has since changed, the former Russian player’s supporters chastised the Romanian tennis star for her earlier stance. Here are some comments,

Many fans were comparing the two incidents.

Comment from discussion cranberryskittle’s comment from discussion "Ouch". Comment from discussion jasonfrey13’s comment from discussion "Ouch".

A fan directly fumed about the Romanian tennis star and called her a cheater.

Comment from discussion Klahos’s comment from discussion "Ouch".

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While another tennis player mocked Halep.

Comment from discussion WordWarrior81’s comment from discussion "Ouch". Comment from discussion ClassyClassical-0623’s comment from discussion "Ouch". Comment from discussion Roy1984’s comment from discussion "Ouch".

However, some fans raised a question about the whole WTA as they vented out their frustration.

Comment from discussion Out0fit’s comment from discussion "Ouch". Comment from discussion spaideyv’s comment from discussion "Ouch".

Sharapova and Halep’s head-to-head record

The former Russian player and the Romanian star have faced each other nine times on the tennis court. However, the five-time Grand Slam champion has dominated their battles, winning seven out of the nine matches.

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One of these was played at the 2014 French Open finals. It was a clash for a major title, where Sharapova claimed a straightforward victory. Notably, the last time they faced each other was back in 2018 at the Italian Open semi-finals, where the 31-year-old Romanian star won her second match against the Russian star.