WE NEED TO PLAY FAIR ON DRUGS
Williams claims the anti-doping authorities test her far more than other players... and she demands equal treatment
Serena Williams yesterday declared that she does not care how often she is drug tested — as long as other players are treated in the same way.
The seven-time champion was back at Wimbledon, where she begins another campaign today, and reiterated her claim that she undergoes more checks for doping than anyone else on the circuit.
The 36-year-old american went on the front foot when asked about last week’s story on Deadspin.com that an official from Us anti-Doping left her house empty-handed after a visit on June 14.
she explained that he arrived 12 hours ahead of her allotted daily ‘whereabouts’ hour and that it was among a welter of out-of-competition tests being demanded of her.
‘How is it i’m getting tested five times in June? it’s only June, i’ve been tested five times,’ said Williams, who has played three tournaments since coming back from giving birth.
‘i’m okay with that, as long as everyone is being treated equally. That’s all i care about. i despise having people in our sport that aren’t being honest. i’m totally okay with testing and i encourage it. What i want to know is that everyone is getting tested, that we are really working to keep this sport clean.
‘i feel like it’s equality, that’s all i’ve been preaching, it’s all about equality. if that’s testing everyone five times, let’s do it. let’s be a part of it. it’s just about being equal and not centring one person out.
‘i never knew that i was tested so much more than everyone else. i didn’t realise it was such a discrepancy with me as against the other players that they listed, at least with the american players, both male and female.
‘For me, it’s a little frustrating. How can i have a missed test when it’s nowhere near the time i should be there? it’s really disappointing, shocking. i was just like: “That’s just weird”.’
she may have been unaware, but she is in good company when it comes to being heavily tested. roger Federer later revealed that he has undergone seven examinations of his blood and urine in the past month. Players coming back from breaks tend to be more aggressively targeted. Williams postponed her pre-Wimbledon media duties from saturday because she chose to attend a polo event that featured the Duke and Duchess of sussex, whose wedding she attended in may. Previously, the world number one — now 183 — might have been surly and defensive when asked about something as potentially controversial as anti-doping but, as at the French Open, she was in expansive mood.
Today she plays world no 107 arantxa rus, having been put on Court One in a nod to the fact that she comes in as the no 25 seed.
a special case was made for her to receive a privileged position in the draw — and she denied that she was at all offended that it was not something higher.
‘i don’t at all feel that way. in fact, i was pleasantly surprised,’ she said. ‘i came in here expecting that maybe i wouldn’t get a seed. i do know Wimbledon tends to kind of march to their own drum.’
Williams joked: ‘i have that mommy brain now,’ when she asked for a question to be repeated so she could understand.
This will be her first appearance at the all england Club since beating Germany’s angelique Kerber in the 2016 final. she will be better prepared than she was for the French Open, where she improved with every match until withdrawing from her scheduled fourth-round showdown with maria sharapova.
That retirement was caused by a strained pectoral muscle and she waited until her arrival at sW19 a week last sunday — having trained before that in France — before properly testing it out.
‘i didn’t actually serve till i got here, to be honest. i’m still debating if i should go 120 (mph) or whatever,’ she said. ‘But it’s been good, i often find the less i serve the better i serve.’
she admitted that motherhood has had some effect on her extreme competitive instinct and that it can be confusing.
‘i have this amazing child, i have all these Grand slams, this is all just a super bonus,’ said Williams. ‘i definitely feel a lot less pressure out there, but i am a little bit shocked at how much i almost want that pressure. i almost want to feel the need to go out there and be the best that i can be.’