American tennis legend Serena Williams criticized the sport's anti-doping testing protocols as grueling during a packed news conference at Wimbledon on Sunday, revealing that the strict daily reporting requirements nearly deterred her from making a competitive comeback.
The 44-year-old seven-time Wimbledon champion rejoined the drug-testing pool in December to prepare for her return after a four-year singles absence.
Williams is scheduled to play Australian world number 53 Maya Joint on Centre Court on Tuesday after accepting a singles wild card.
"It's grueling.
That was a big reason why I didn't want to come back either, because it's just so hard," said Williams, according to BBC Sport.
The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion explained that managing her business commitments and family life makes adhering to the strict whereabouts tracking system particularly challenging.
"My life is busy, I run a [venture capital] company, I travel the world. I have children.
It's like I could be in so many different cities so many different times," Williams said.
The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) mandates that players in the testing pool provide a specific one-hour window each day for potential no-notice testing, with three missed tests in 12 months resulting in a sanction.
"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 said.
Williams expressed confusion regarding the current protocols, incorrectly asserting that missing a test outside of the designated one-hour window would count as a missed test, which led her to believe she could not pick up her children.
"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," Williams added.
According to the New York Times, Williams is also the most prominent athlete competing while using GLP-1 weight-loss drugs, which have been monitored by WADA since 2024 but remain legal and are not classified as performance-enhancing.
"I didn't know some of the rules, so apparently like if you miss a test.
Outside of your window, it still counts as miss, and like, so I guess I can't go pick up my kids," Williams said, as reported by the New York Times.
Her frustrations follow a recent four-year ban handed to 2023 Wimbledon champion Markéta Vondroušová for refusing a drug test outside her specified window, an incident that has amplified player anxieties surrounding the ITIA system.
"I hate it," Williams said.
Despite her initial hesitation to return to the sport after her last appearance at the 2022 U. S.
Open, Williams decided to accept the tournament's wild card invitation on the day before the official deadline.
"I thought, not every day Wimbledon holds a wild card for someone," Williams said. "I thought, well, I should really take this opportunity.
Who knows if I'll ever make it here again, this could be it, you know, and so, I'm just like, what am I, what, what, what's wrong with me, Serena?
What are you thinking? Like, are you, are you nuts?
Like, you really should do this."
Williams also noted that the platform provided by professional athletics ultimately motivated her to rejoin the elite competitive circuit.
"People live to be an athlete, and I had this great opportunity to showcase what I do, what I do best, I suppose.
I think ultimately, I was like, that is pretty cool, so I should do it," Williams said.
According to the Associated Press, Williams alleged that recent changes to the anti-doping system added to her frustration, though the ITIA clarified that whereabouts rules have remained unchanged since September 2024.
"It's grueling," Williams said, per Ken Maguire of the Associated Press. "They changed the rules now.
I didn't know some of the rules. 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. 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 previously warmed up for the Grand Slam tournament by participating in the doubles draw at the Queen's Club alongside Victoria Mboko, a run that ended prematurely due to an injury suffered by Mboko in singles play.
"That was a big reason why I didn't want to come back either because it's just so hard," Williams said.
"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."
In response to the criticisms, the ITIA issued a statement maintaining that no-notice testing is an essential component of clean sport and that the rules are not intended to unfairly penalize competitors.
"There have been no changes to the whereabouts rules in the last few years," the ITIA stated.
"We understand the system can seem challenging, but it is there to protect players, not to trip them up.
If players are unsure or have questions, we would welcome a conversation with them directly or through their agents."
While Williams continues to express reservations about the daily administrative routine, she is set to play alongside her sister, Venus Williams, in the Wimbledon doubles tournament in addition to her singles match on Tuesday.
