Serena Williams unhappy with Sinner’s three-month ban

Tennis legend Serena Williams has expressed her displeasure over the three-month doping ban handed to Italian star Jannik Sinner, calling it lenient and suggesting she would have faced harsher consequences under similar circumstances.

The 23-time Grand Slam champion was reacting to the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) decision, which saw Sinner receive a brief suspension after testing positive twice for the banned substance clostebol in March 2024. The sanction came after both parties reached a mutual agreement.

"I love the guy, I love his game. 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," the retired Williams said of Sinner in an interview with Time.

"[But] if I did that, I would have gotten 20 years. Let's be honest. I would have gotten Grand Slams taken away from me," he added.

Williams has long spoken about facing double standards in the sport. Back in 2018, she claimed she was subjected to “discrimination” regarding the frequency and intensity of drug tests compared to her peers.

Sinner, who won the Australian Open in January, accepted the three-month suspension in February. WADA had initially pushed for a two-year ban and appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

However, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) cleared Sinner of any fault or negligence last year.

The World No. 1 is set to return to the court at the Italian Open on May 7, just ahead of the French Open, which begins on May 25.