Serena Williams takes shot at ‘unreasonable’ anti-doping rules ahead of Wimbledon

Serena Williams made a lot of fans ecstatic after it was announced that she will compete in the singles tournament at Wimbledon. She will open her campaign against Maya Joint on Tuesday.

It will be Williams’ first return at Wimbledon since 2022, when she lost in the first round to Harmony Tan.

The 44-year-old Williams initially earned a wild-card spot in the doubles tournament with her sister, Venus Williams. She saw action earlier this month in the doubles draw at Queen’s Club, teaming up with Victoria Mboko.

Aside from shaking off her rust, the 23-time Grand Slam winner has been busy complying with the requirements for Wimbledon, including the anti-doping test by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA). In a report from the Associated Press’ Ken Maguire, she called the process “unreasonable.”

“It’s grueling. 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,” said Williams, who has two daughters.

“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.”

Maguire added that the ITIA, in response to Williams, maintained that the same process has been in place for several years now.

“If a tester is unable to reach a player during their allocated hour, then it may well be a ‘strike,’ and three failures could lead to a charge. If a tester is unable to reach a player outside of their allocated hour, it is not considered a strike,” said the ITIA.

Williams has seven titles at Wimbledon, which she last won in 2016. She is tied with Steffi Graf for the second-most crowns at the All-England Club, trailing Martina Navratilova’s nine trophies.

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