Serena Williams slams 'unreasonable' Wimbledon rules
Serena Williams took aim at tennis' anti-doping regulations ahead of her Wimbledon comeback this week.
Williams, 44, is gearing up to play her first singles match in nearly four years, after accepting the tournament's final wildcard earlier this month.
It marks her return to SW19 for the first time in four years - and after having publicly stepped away from the sport following the 2022 US Open.
Before being able to announce her comeback, Williams had to return to the anti-doping testing pool and was asked Sunday about her experiences complying with the rules.
'It's grueling. 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,' said the seven-time Wimbledon champion, a mother of two.
'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.'
Serena Williams took aim at tennis' anti-doping regulations ahead of her Wimbledon return
The 44-year-old icon is gearing up to play her first singles match in nearly four years
Williams' first match at the grass-court Grand Slam since 2022 will take place Tuesday when she faces Maya Joint as part of her tennis comeback.
The anti-doping protocol was in the spotlight last week when Marketa Vondrousova, the 2023 Wimbledon champion, was suspended for four years for refusing an anti-doping test, the latest high-profile player sanctioned.
Players are required by the International Tennis Integrity Agency to provide their daily 'whereabouts' for no-notice testing.
Williams described it as 'unreasonable.'
'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, in response to Williams' comments, told The Associated Press the rules have been the same for several years.
'If a tester is unable to reach a player during their allocated hour, then it may well be a 'strike,' and three failures could lead to a charge. If a tester is unable to reach a player outside of their allocated hour, it is not considered a strike,' it said of the whereabouts rules.
In 2023, Jenson Brooksby was given an 18-month suspension after an independent tribunal determined he missed three drug tests within the span of a year.
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Williams made her return to tennis and dominated at the Queen's Club at the start of the month
Williams was congratulated by her husband Alexis and children, Olympia and Adira
Under anti-doping rules, athletes can be penalized without a positive test if they have three 'whereabouts failures' within 12 months.
'There have been no changes to the whereabouts rules in the last few years,' the ITIA added in its statement. '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.'
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.'
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Serena Williams says she would have been NUTS to turn down Wimbledon wildcard
'Just getting in that routine of, all right, first of all, learning the new rules, then just getting back and reporting every day,' she said. '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 had left one women's singles wildcard slot conspicuously unclaimed, and on Sunday it was announced that Serena will test herself against the best players in the world - many of whom are less than half her age - at the event she has won seven times.
The 44-year-old began her comeback to tennis - four years after her last professional match - 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.
Williams had previously hinted at a potential return to the grass courts after kicking off her competitive tennis comeback in the doubles draw, where she is already locked in to compete alongside her sister, Venus Williams.
Rosie O’Donnell Slammed for Posing in Front of Private Jet After Blasting Wealthy People as 'Embarrassing'
Rosie O’Donnell Slammed for Posing in Front of Private Jet After Blasting Wealthy People as ‘Embarrassing’
Millionaire left-wing comedian Rosie O’Donnell is being slammed on social media for posing with fellow comedian Kathy Griffin in front of a private jet after recently attacking wealthy people as “embarrassing” and asking, “How much [money] can you have?”
“The resistance has landed,” Griffin wrote in a Friday Instagram caption, sharing a photo of herself with O’Donnell in front of a jet. “Are you guys gonna watch the week that @Rosie guest hosts for @jimmykimmellive??? It will be a must watch week.”
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Amusingly, O’Donnell is apparently back in the U.S. — again — after fleeing the country for Ireland early last year and previously vowing not to return while President Donald Trump is in office.
Viewers quickly took to social media to share their reactions to O’Donnell standing before the private jet.
“Whatever democrats accuse you of doing, THEY ARE DOING,” one X user proclaimed.
“Rules for thee not for me!” another wrote.
“They are both embarrassing enough no matter what they’re standing in front of!” a third exclaimed.
“Envy is a terrible thing, usually displayed extensively by champagne socialists,” another X user remarked.
“These celebrities are hypocrites… and the general public doesn’t care what they have to say anyways,” another commented.
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“It’s okay when they do it,” the popular X account Catturd quipped.
“This is the perfect example of why the left cannot be taken seriously,” another X user reacted.
“I used to think these 2 women were funny until they contracted severe #TDS and a ragingly high level of hypocrisy,” another commented.
“Interesting… private Jets… what about the environment?” another X user asked in a nod to the left’s constant “climate change” alarmism.
“The problem for these limo-liberals is how they define ‘wealthy people,'” another pointed out. “It’s not about money, it’s about politics. ‘Wealthy people’ are really only those with money who don’t support the causes that Rosie and her comrades support.”
A few months ago, O’Donnell — who has an estimated net worth of $80 million — said, “It should be embarrassing to be a billionaire.”
“It should be embarrassing to have the ability to help society and choose not to, I mean, I don’t understand, how much can you have?” O’Donnell added at the time.
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Notably, leftists are commonly seen blasting “millionaires,” until they become one themselves, at which point they then segue to attacking “billionaires.”
As Breitbart News reported, millionaire left-wing TV host Jimmy Kimmel was slammed earlier this month for warning against “obscenely wealthy weirdo” Elon Musk getting richer.
“The class envy from multi millionaires of billionaires is really something to behold,” one X user quipped in reaction to Kimmel.
Alana Mastrangelo is a reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on Facebook and X at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.
