Serena Williams called out tennis's doping testing ahead of her Wimbledon wildcard draw, describing it as "grueling," "unprofessional," and "unreasonable."
The 23-time Grand Slam champion spoke just days before her return to the All England Club — her first Wimbledon appearance since 2022.
What Are the Rules Serena Williams Is Criticizing?
At the center of her frustration are the sport's "whereabouts" rules.
Players must report their daily location for unannounced testing. According to Williams, even a missed check outside a designated window can count against an athlete. For a mother of two who also runs a venture capital firm, that level of rigidity is difficult to manage.
"I guess I can't go pick up my kids," Williams said during her pre-tournament press conference. "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 added that the protocols nearly kept her from returning to competition at all.
ITIA Responds to Doping Protocol Pushback
Still, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) pushed back. In a statement, the ITIA said the rules have not changed in years and that missed checks outside a player's designated hour do not count as strikes.
The conversation comes shortly after 2023 Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova received a four-year ban for refusing a test.
Despite her concerns, Williams maintained her commitment to a clean sport saying, "I guess now for 24 hours where I'm going to be is just different — at least for me. I don't know if that works for everyone else."
Williams opens her Wimbledon campaign tomorrow against Maya Joint at 11:20 AM ET, live on ESPN and ESPN2.
