"WTA didn't restore Monica Seles' ranking";"Is Simona Halep insane?" - Fans slam Romanian as she throws shade at Azarenka, Keys & Player Council

Simona Halep recently endorsed a supposedly bizarre theory about the denial of her request for her ranking to be restored. However, the Romanian's claim came at a cost, as several fans did not take kindly to it and lashed out at her.

Halep received a four-year ban after testing positive for the prohibited substance Roxadustat at the 2022 US Open. The sentence was reduced to nine months earlier this year after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) heard her appeal against the suspension. Since the former World No. 1 had already served nine months of her ban, she was cleared to return immediately.

However, since returning to the WTA Tour, the Romanian has looked a mere shadow of her former self. Her win-loss record in the 2024 season was a dismal 1-4, and she finished it ranked a lowly World No. 879.

On Sunday, December 8, Simona Halep took to her Instagram Stories and shared a theory originally posted by a fan. The theory insinuates that WTA Players' Council members Victoria Azarenka, Madison Keys, Jessica Pegula and others are biased against Halep, which is why they denied the Romanian's request to have her ranking points restored.

Many fans were infuriated by the two-time Major champion endorsing the unsubstantiated claim, with one writing:

"She really is embarassing at this point," the fan wrote.

"WTA didn't restore Monica Seles's ranking who the hell do you think you are," commented another fan, referring to former World No. 1 Seles' ranking not being restored after she returned to action following the heinous stabbing attack on her in the 1990s.

"Simona has willingly become such a pariah on tour. And it won't do her any favors for an easier comeback," another chimed in.

"The way she could just go back and play tennis instead of making enemies everywhere," added another.

Several others were baffled by Halep's post.

"Is she insane?" asked one fan.

"Wait what is supposed to be the gag in the player council? Do those specific ppl hate her or?" another questioned.

"This off szn is crazy," opined yet another fan.

Halep has recently been in the news for sharing her thoughts in the aftermath of Iga Swiatek's doping revelation, which rocked the tennis world merely months after it was announced that ATP World No. 1 Jannik Sinner had tested positive for a banned substance.

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"It's very weird" - Simona Halep compares her case to Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek's respective doping rows

Simona Halep (Source: Getty)

In a recent interview with The Telegraph, Simona Halep bemoaned the treatment meted out to Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek after they tested positive for different prohibited substances.

Sinner received a provisional suspension but managed to swiftly and successfully appeal against it, allowing him to keep playing on the ATP Tour. Meanwhile, Swiatek was handed a one-month ban but served it in two spells, with two tournament appearances sandwiched between them. However, both Sinner and Swiatek's cases were kept under wraps and only made public after their respective resolutions.

"What I believe is not fair, either, is that they announced my case straight away, and I got all the heat from the press, and for these two players they kept it secret, and they just said about the case when everything was done, so it's very weird," Simona Halep said.

Sinner's case though, took a turn after the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) appealed against the decision of the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) to let the Italian off the hook. CAS will hear WADA's appeal next year, though the exact hearing date is yet to be confirmed.