Serena Williams calls Wimbledon anti-doping rules unreasonable

Serena Williams, 44, returns to Wimbledon this week for her first singles match in nearly four years and has branded tennis’ anti-doping whereabouts rules “unreasonable,” complaining she can’t travel freely without risking a missed test. The ITIA says the rule

Serena Williams’ Wimbledon return is only days away, but her focus on Sunday wasn’t the grass or the draw. It was the anti-doping rules that sit behind every routine day of an athlete’s calendar.

At 44. the seven-time Wimbledon champion is gearing up for her first singles match at SW19 in nearly four years. after accepting the tournament’s final wildcard earlier this month. She is set to play her first grass-court Grand Slam singles appearance since 2022 on Tuesday, when she faces Maya Joint.

Before she could publicly confirm her comeback, Williams had to re-enter the anti-doping testing pool. She was then asked about what it’s like to comply with the whereabouts system—and she didn’t hold back.

“It’s grueling. They changed the rules now. I didn’t know some of the rules,” Williams said, describing the rules as impossible to manage alongside real life. “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.”

For a mother of two, she said the practical burden hits hardest when travel and family life overlap. “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’ comments landed as anti-doping enforcement has been under renewed scrutiny. Last week. Marketa Vondrousova—the 2023 Wimbledon champion—was suspended for four years for refusing an anti-doping test. the latest high-profile sanction in a string of cases that have kept the sport’s testing rules in the spotlight.

The system Williams is reacting to requires players, under the International Tennis Integrity Agency, to provide their daily “whereabouts” for no-notice testing. Williams described it as “unreasonable,” saying she hesitated about returning partly because the demands collide with her schedule.

“That was a big reason why I didn’t want to come back either,” she said. “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.”

The ITIA responded to Williams’ criticism. telling The Associated Press that the whereabouts rules have been the same for several years. In its explanation. it said that if a tester is unable to reach a player during their allocated hour. it “may well be a ‘strike.’” It added that if a tester can’t reach a player outside their allocated hour. it “is not considered a strike.”.

Under the rules, athletes can be penalized without a positive test if they accumulate three “whereabouts failures” within 12 months.

The consequences of missing tests have been made clear in the past. In 2023, Jenson Brooksby received an 18-month suspension after an independent tribunal determined he missed three drug tests within the span of a year.

Williams said she understands the need to comply and framed her situation as one of adjustment, not defiance. “Williams, who has previously criticized the frequency of anti-doping testing, said she’s willing to comply and ‘always have been very clear about what I do.’”

She described the work of getting back into the routine: “Just getting in that routine of, all right, first of all, learning the new rules, then just getting back and reporting every day.”

And she stressed that even with commitment, the structure is different. “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.”

The All England Club left one women’s singles wildcard slot unclaimed, and on Sunday it announced that Williams would take it—returning to the tournament she has won seven times. Many of her potential opponents are less than half her age.

Williams also carried her support close as she stepped back onto tour. She was congratulated by her husband Alexis and children, Olympia and Adira.

Her comeback began earlier this month at the Queen’s Club’s HSBC Championships. where she won a round before being forced out by an injury to her partner Victoria Mboko. She had hinted at a grass-court return after beginning her competitive comeback in the doubles draw. where she is already locked in to compete alongside her sister. Venus Williams.

Now, as Wimbledon approaches, Williams’ timeline isn’t just about first-round nerves or a first singles match back. It’s about whether the rules built to protect players can be navigated in a life that rarely stays inside neat windows.

Serena Williams Wimbledon anti-doping ITIA whereabout rules Maya Joint Marketa Vondrousova Jenson Brooksby grass-court comeback