I would have been banned 20 years: Serena Williams blasts double standards in doping cases
Williams is regarded as one of the best female Tennis players to ever exist, going by her achievements.
Former Tennis World Number one Serena Williams has called out what she describes as inconsistencies in awarding of punishment for doping cases.
American great Williams suggested that she would have been banned for 20 years and stripped of her Grand Slam titles had she failed drug tests like men's world No. 1 Jannik Sinner did last year.
Sinner accepted a three-month ban in February following an agreement with the World Anti-Doping Agency, which challenged an independent tribunal's decision to clear him of wrongdoing after two positive tests for the anabolic agent clostebol.
"I love the guy, love this game," Williams, who retired in 2022 after winning 23 Grand Slam trophies, told Time Magazine.
"He's great for the sport. I've been put down so much, I don't want to bring anyone down. Men's tennis needs him. (However) if I did that, I would have gotten 20 years. Let's be honest. I would have gotten Grand Slams taken away from me."
Reigning Australian Open and US Open champion Sinner, whose ban will end on May 4, has always maintained his innocence, though his case raised questions about whether he had received preferential treatment from the authorities.
Iga Swiatek's case also caused some surprise with the women's world No. 2 accepting a one-month suspension in November after testing positive for the banned substance trimetazidine.
Former world No 1 Simona Halep was also banned despite denying knowingly taking the banned drug roxadustat, and her four-year suspension was cut to nine months in 2024 after an appeal at sport's highest court.
Sinner and his team are yet to make a comment on Williams' statement.
Williams is regarded as one of the best female Tennis players to ever exist, going by her achievements.
She was ranked as the world No. 1 in women's singles by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) for 319 weeks (third-most of all time) and finished as the year-end No. 1 five times.
Williams won 73 WTA Tour-level singles titles, including 23 major women's singles titles, the most in the Open Era, and the second-most of all time.
She is the only player to accomplish a career Golden Slam in both singles and doubles.