Serena Williams has spoken out about what she perceives as a double standard in anti-doping enforcement after men’s world number one Jannik Sinner received a three-month ban for two positive drug tests.
The retired tennis icon, who won 23 Grand Slam titles during her illustrious career, suggested she would have faced harsher consequences for a similar violation.
In an interview with Time, Williams stated, “If I did that, I would have gotten 20 years. Let’s be honest. I would have gotten Grand Slams taken away from me.” She also joked, “You would have heard about it in another multiverse.”
Despite her critique, Williams praised Sinner, calling him “great for the sport” and acknowledging the importance of his presence in men’s tennis.
The controversy stems from Sinner’s acceptance of an immediate three-month suspension in February after testing positive for clostebol twice in March 2024.
The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) cleared the 23-year-old of fault or negligence, but the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) initially sought a ban of up to two years.
Williams, 43, reflected on her own experiences with anti-doping scrutiny, citing incidents in 2018 when she was tested by the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) five times by June—more than twice the number of tests conducted on other top American players.
At the time, Williams referred to the treatment as “discrimination.”
