Serena Williams, preparing for her return to Wimbledon singles as a wild card entrant for the first time since 2022, has voiced strong criticism of the anti-doping testing process. She will also compete in the doubles event with her sister, Venus, marking their first appearance together in that format at the tournament since 2016.
Williams described the system, overseen by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA), as "unprofessional" and "unreasonable." The ITIA requires players to submit their daily "whereabouts" for no-notice testing.
"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," Williams stated. "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 indicated that the difficulties of the anti-doping protocol were a significant factor in her decision-making regarding her return to professional 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," Williams explained.
The ITIA responded to Williams' comments, clarifying the policy. "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," the agency said. The ITIA also stated, "There have been no changes to the whereabouts rules in the last few years." They further commented, "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."
Despite her criticisms, Williams affirmed her willingness to comply with the rules. The recent scrutiny of the testing system has also affected other players; Marketa Vondrousova, the 2023 Wimbledon champion, received a four-year suspension for refusing an anti-doping test.
