Serena Williams has publicly criticized tennis' anti-doping regulations ahead of her Wimbledon comeback, calling the system 'unprofessional' and 'unreasonable.' The 44-year-old, who will play her first singles match in nearly four years, expressed frustration with the sport's testing requirements, which mandate players provide daily 'whereabouts' for no-notice testing.
Williams, a seven-time Wimbledon champion and mother of two, said the rules are 'grueling' and prevent her from attending to personal responsibilities, such as picking up her children. She also noted that missing a test outside her designated window still counts as a missed test, a rule she found particularly burdensome.
'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,' Williams said. She revealed that the anti-doping protocol was a key reason she initially considered not returning to professional tennis.
Williams' comments come after Marketa Vondrousova, the 2023 Wimbledon champion, was suspended for four years for refusing an anti-doping test. The International Tennis Integrity Agency enforces the testing rules, which require players to be available for testing at any time within a 60-minute window.
Williams will face Maya Joint on June 30 at 12 p.m. ET in her first Wimbledon match since 2022.