‘I would have gotten 20 years’: Serena Williams irked by tennis’ dopey double standard

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Serena Williams has come out swinging against the tennis’ inconsistency when it comes to its doping suspensions.

In a recent interview with People Magazine, the 23-time Grand Slam champion spoke openly about the soft stance taken against Jannik Sinner, who was given a three-month ban for testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs.

“If I did that, I would have gotten 20 years. Let’s be honest,” she told People Magazine. “I would have gotten Grand Slams taken away from me. You would have heard about it in another multiverse.”

Williams, however, admits she does have a lot of respect for Sinner’s game.

“I love the guy, I love his game,” she said. “He’s great for the sport.”

Williams also said: “I’ve been put down so much, I don’t want to bring anyone down. Men’s tennis needs him.”

In February, Sinner accepted a three-month ban with the World Anti-Doping Agency after it challenged Tennis Integrity Agency decision to not suspend him. The ITIA found accidental contamination by a banned anabolic steroid was to blame.

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“I have always accepted that I am responsible for my team and realize WADA’s strict rules are an important protection for the sport I love,” Sinner said at the time. “On that basis I have accepted WADA’s offer to resolve these proceedings on the basis of a three-month sanction.”

Williams also admitted she often thinks about former tennis superstar Maria Sharapova and her doping suspension.

“Just weirdly and oddly, I can’t help but think about Maria all this time,” Williams, 43, said in a new interview in Time. “I can’t help but feel for her.”

In 2016, Sharapova was suspended for two years for testing positive for the banned substance meldonium. The ruling by the International Tennis Federation said she did not intend to cheat but bore “sole responsibility” and “very significant fault” for the positive test.

Since retiring from tennis nearly three years ago, Williams has kept busy raising her daughters Olympic, 7, and one-year old Adira with husband, co-founder and investor Alexis Ohanian.

Williams has also joined the ownership group for the Toronto Tempo, the WNBA’s expansion team, which will begin playing in 2026.

Now 43 and still in great shape, would Williams ever thing about making a comeback to the sport she misses?

“I just can’t peel myself away from these children,” Williams told Time. “Another reason I had to transition was because I wanted to have more kids. And I look at Adira and I’m like, ‘Was it worth it?’ I literally thought about it the other day. I was like, ‘Yeah, it was definitely worth it.’”