"Extremely low class" - Tennis fans unamused after Serena Williams' husband Alexis Ohanian takes 'nasty' dig at Simona Halep amidst doping scandal

Simona Halep has found herself caught in the midst of a massive scandal, as the International Tennis Integrity Agency handed her a provisional suspension today after the Romanian tested positive for Roxadustat.

Considered a banned substance in the same category as EPO as per the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), the two-time Grand Slam champion reportedly showed very small dosages of the drug during this year's US Open.

While the investigation is still ongoing and Halep's appeal is pending, Serena Williams' husband Alexis Ohanian chose to take a dig at the former World No. 1 on social media. Ohanian shared a throwback picture of himself attending Williams' match against Maria Sharapova at the 2019 US Open, after the Russian returned from a similar doping-related suspension.

It was Williams' first on-court meeting with Sharapova after the latter's return to competitive tennis, which was eventually won by the American 6-1, 6-1. Ohanian turned up at the match wearing a D.A.R.E t-shirt underneath his jacket (D.A.R.E standing for Drug Abuse Resistance Education, a popular education program aimed at preventing drug use in the US), a not-so-subtle dig at the Russian.

This time around, Williams' husband captioned the photo asking what plans people had for Halloween, which appeared harmless at the outset but did not escape the attention of tennis fans on social media.

Many were quick to jump to Halep's defense, calling Alexis out for stooping to such low levels, especially when the matter hasn't even been completely resolved.

One fan tweeted on the same:

"Honestly … this is extremely low class."

Another fan was of the opinion that it was too low even for him, taking a disguised shot at the American in the process.

"Oh that’s so low, even for you Alexis."

Another user extended their criticism to Williams as well, hoping that the 23-time Grand Slam champion would soon realize that she married an "assh**e" and send him on his way.

"When will Serena realise she married a complete a**hole with such a small d*ck energy?? Hope he gets his obsessive a$$ dumped hard one day."

Here are a few more reactions from fans:

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Simona Halep vows to fight the suspension, calls it the "hardest match" of her life

Simona Halep at the 2020 French Open

Meanwhile, Simona Halep released a statement on social media, vowing to fight the suspension with all her might. Remarking that she has never knowingly cheated during her career, the Romanian declared that she will see to it that the truth comes out and that the decision is overturned as soon as possible.

"Today begins the hardest match of my life: a fight for the truth. Throughout my whole career, the idea of cheating never even crossed my mind once, as it is totally against all the values I have been educated with," Simona Halep wrote, adding, "I will fight until the end to prove that I never knowingly took any prohibited substance and have faith that sooner or later, the truth will come out."