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Serena Williams has launched a stinging criticism of tennis’ anti-doping system ahead of her long-awaited Wimbledon comeback, branding parts of the current testing protocol “unprofessional” and “unreasonable” while admitting the rules almost convinced her not to return to professional tennis.The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion, who re-entered the anti-doping testing pool before confirming her comeback, said complying with the latest whereabouts requirements has been one of the toughest aspects of returning to the tour.“It’s grueling. They changed the rules now. I didn’t know some of the rules,” Williams said ahead of her first Wimbledon appearance since 2022.“Apparently if you miss a test outside of your window, it still counts as missed. I’m like, I guess I can’t go pick up my kids.”The 44-year-old, a mother of two, is set to face Maya Joint in the opening round on Tuesday after making her competitive return earlier this month in doubles at Queen’s Club.
‘I hate it… it’s unreasonable’
While acknowledging the importance of anti-doping measures, Williams questioned the way the current system affects players with busy lives away from the court.“It’s unprofessional. I hate it,” she said. “I think it’s necessary, but I think a lot of the stuff, if I want to go places outside of my window, I should be able to go without having it count as a missed test.”Williams went on to reveal that the strict testing procedures were one of the biggest reasons she delayed her return to tennis.“That was a big reason why I didn’t want to come back either, because it’s just so hard. I mean, my life is busy. I run a company, I run a VC company, I travel the world. I have children. It’s like I could be in so many different cities so many different times,” she said.Describing the system in one word, Williams added: “It’s unreasonable.”
ITIA responds to Serena’s criticism
Williams’ comments come just days after 2023 Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova received a four-year suspension for refusing an anti-doping test, once again putting tennis’ testing system under the spotlight.The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA), however, disputed Williams’ suggestion that the rules had recently changed.In a statement, the governing body said there had been “no changes to the whereabouts rules in the last few years.”The ITIA clarified that a missed test outside a player’s allocated one-hour testing window does not count as a strike, while three whereabouts failures within a 12-month period can lead to anti-doping charges even without a positive test.Despite her frustration, Williams insisted she has always supported clean sport and remains committed to complying with the rules.“I’ve always been very clear about what I do,” she said. “Just getting in that routine of, all right, first of all, learning the new rules, then just getting back and reporting every day. I guess now for 24 hours where I’m going to be is just different — at least for me. I don’t know if that works for everyone else.”
