Serena Williams Rips 'Grueling' and 'Unreasonable' Drug Test Rules Ahead of Wimbledon Return
Part of Serena Williams' return to professional tennis means rejoining the sport's anti-doping testing pool, but she believes the system needs to be improved.
"It's grueling," she said, per Ken Maguire of the Associated Press. "They changed the rules now. I didn't know some of the rules. So 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. It's unprofessional. I hate it. 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."
She also said "unreasonable" rules from the International Tennis Integrity Agency requiring players to provide their daily "whereabouts" for no-notice testing contributed to her previously walking away from the sport.
"That was a big reason why I didn't want to come back either because it's just so hard," Williams said. "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."
The ITIA said its rules that allow it to penalize athletes without a positive test if they have three "whereabouts failures" in 12 months have not changed of late.
"There have been no changes to the whereabouts rules in the last few years," the ITIA said in a statement. "We understand the system can seem challenging, but it is there to protect players, not to trip them up. If players are unsure or have questions, we would welcome a conversation with them directly or through their agents."
Maguire noted Williams' comments come after 2023 Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova was suspended for four years when she refused an anti-doping test.
Despite her opinions about the testing, Williams' return is one of the biggest stories in the sport.
She returned to professional tennis for the first time since 2022 when she partnered with Victoria Mboko for the doubles tournament at Queen's Club and won a match before their run ended when Mboko withdrew due to an injury she suffered in singles play.
Still, it is Williams' return to the Wimbledon stage that is generating the most headlines.
She will participate as a wild card in singles and with her sister, Venus, in doubles:
Williams is a 23-time Grand Slam champion and won Wimbledon seven times. Her last Wimbledon title came in 2016.
While it is unrealistic to expect the 44-year-old to add another title to her resume at this stage, she will still be appointment viewing at the tournament.
