"So upset establishment is not pointing out her hypocrisy" - Fans recall Simona Halep's take on Maria Sharapova doping scandal after Miami wildcard

Simona Halep has been granted a wildcard entry into the 2024 Miami Open after her four-year doping ban was reduced to nine months. This development has angered fans of Maria Sharapova, who recalled what the Romanian had said about the Russian in 2017.

Sharapova failed a drug test at the 2016 Australian Open, testing positive for meldonium, a banned substance. As a result, the Russian was handed a 15-month suspension. When the suspension was nearing its completion in March 2017, she was handed a wildcard entry into the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, beginning on April 24.

The Russian was deemed eligible by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) to return to tennis on April 26 following her 15-month suspension. Sharapova's return was met with fierce criticism, with many WTA players, including Halep, lambasting the decision.

"For the kids, for the young players, it is not OK to help with a wild card the player that was banned for doping," Simona Halep said at the time (via USA Today).

Several fans haven't forgotten Halep's remarks about Sharapova, and have accused the Romanian of double standards. One user expressed disappointment with the tennis establishment for not calling the former World No. 1 out.

"Simone was a very loud critic of Sharapova and said it’s an athletes responsibility to know what they ingest in their bodies. I am so upset that the tennis establishment is not pointing out her hypocrisy," they wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

Another user opined that the tennis fraternity's mostly positive reaction to Halep's return is unfair to Sharapova.

"The way the tennis world is reacting to Halep's case is just so unfair to Sharapova tbh who had her career practically ruined due to that," they wrote.

Another user recalled Sharapova being barred from participating in the 2017 French Open and wondered if Halep would meet the same fate.

"Pleased to see Simona back competing. Can’t help but feel for Sharapova a bit and the backlash she received when she took WCs. Will the French Open do a live stream to announce their WCs again and decide on Halep (if she needs one)?" they wrote.

Here are some more reactions from tennis fans:

Simona Halep thrilled to receive wildcard by Miami Open

Simona Halep at the 2022 US Open

After getting confirmation of her wildcard entry into the Miami Open, Simona Halep took to social media to share her unbridled joy.

"I'm thrilled to let you all know that I will be making my return to the WTA Tour in two weeks at the @miamiopen! Thank you to the tournament for giving me this opportunity and I cannot wait to be back on court and competing. See you all soon!" she wrote in an Instagram post.

The 2024 Miami Open women's singles main draw matches are scheduled to start on March 19, two days after the conclusion of the Indian Wells Open.