From Serena Williams' sly digs to Alexis Ohanian recycling Maria Sharapova jibe: How the American & her husband reacted to Simona Halep's doping ban

Serena Williams and her husband Alexis Ohanian went on a spree on Twitter on Tuesday in the aftermath of Simona Halep's 4-year ban from tennis for anti-doping violation. They both made very cryptic posts on their respective handles, which subsequently divided opinions among tennis fans on social media.

The 23-time Major winner took to social media to write a short message with no context. However, the American's post was interpreted as a dig towards Halep in light of her shocking suspension.

The Romanian had denied Serena Williams an eighth Wimbledon title in 2019, beating her in the final 6-2, 6-2. This led many fans to believe that her post was a riff on Halep's ban.

"8 is a better number," Serena Williams wrote.

While some fans seemed to enjoy her takedown of the 31-year-old, a big part of the tennis community condemned her for the post. The 41-year-old also proceeded to like a post by her compatriot Nicole Gibbs, where she expressed her disappointment with the Romanian's actions and accused her of "cheating".

Meanwhile, Alexis Ohanian, who married Serena Williams in late 2017, posted a throwback picture of himself during the 23-time Major winner's 2019 US Open opener against arch-nemesis Maria Sharapova.

The image, which was taken right after Williams defeated Sharapova, showed Ohanian sporting a graphic t-shirt with the text "D.A.R.E (Drug Abuse Resistance Education)" emblazoned on the chest. Back then, this move had been perceived as an attempt to poke fun at the Russian's 2016 doping ban.

Ohanian felt it was fitting to bring back the photo to public consciousness with another doping ban in the news, calling his outfit "timeless".

"Some fashion is timeless," he wrote.

Even his wife seemed to agree, as she remarked:

"Seriously not out of style."

Serena Williams' husband revels in the fact that Coco Gauff's US Open 2023 final was viewed by more people than the men's final in New York

Alexis Ohanian and daughter Olympia watch an NWSL match

Earlier on Tuesday, Serena Williams' husband Alexis Ohanian also took to social media to boast about Coco Gauff raking in big-time viewership during her 2023 US Open triumph.

Gauff's fighting spirit, in particular, made her championship-match tussle against Aryna Sabalenka worth watching, so much so that an audience of 3.422 million had tuned into the final. In comparison, only 2.321 million viewers turned up for the men's singles final between Novak Djokovic and Alexis Ohanian the following day.

The American entrepreneur, who is a proponent of investing in women's sports, expressed his pride at the above fact and urged others to follow suit with their investments as well.

"Facts > Feelings. US viewership of @USOpen finals: Coco Gauff vs Aryna Sabalenka: 3.422 million. Novak Djokovic vs Daniil Medvedev: 2.321 million. The free market speaks (again). Invest in Women's Sports. @weareangelcity was just the start for me..." Ohanian tweeted.

In his successive posts, Serena Williams' husband also claimed that the women's final in New York was watched by more fans than this year's Wimbledon final between Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz.

"Cope harder, folks. The Wimbledon MEN'S FINAL set records with 3.2M viewers -- trailing only Djokovic-Roger Federer in 2019 (3.83M) as the most-watched Wimbledon singles final in more than a decade. And this USOpen Women's Final was still watched by more Americans," he added.