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Serena Williams strongly believes it would have been a serious outcome if she was ever in Jannik Sinner's position.
Serena Williams has ignited a fiery debate in the world of professional tennis.
The 23-time Grand Slam champion has seemingly raised uncomfortable questions about fairness, gender dynamics, and privilege in the highest level of the sport.
The 43-year-old icon didn’t mince words in her interview with Time Magazine, where she weighed in on the shocking doping case involving Jannik Sinner, the current world No.1.
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According to reports, Sinner, 22, tested positive twice for the anabolic steroid clostebol in March last year.
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The Italian’s excuse was that a physio accidentally contaminated him with an over-the-counter spray while treating a cut.
Initially, Sinner escaped a ban altogether, a decision later challenged by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), who negotiated a three-month ban in February through a highly controversial settlement.
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15:05 - 26.01.2025
Jannik Sinner: Alleged Doping, Age, Height, Idol, Ranking, Prize Money, Titles, Coach, Girlfriend, Parents, Net Worth
Explore everything about three-time Grand Slam champion Jannik Sinner: his titles and triumphs, his path to stardom, his personal life and the recent doping allegations.
“Let’s be honest. I would’ve lost everything”
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While Serena praised Sinner’s talent and charisma, calling him “great for the sport”, the mother of two was quick to point out the glaring double standard in the sport.
“If I did that, I would have gotten 20 years,” she told TIME.
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“Let’s be honest. I would have gotten Grand Slams taken away from me.”
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With a wry sense of humour, Serena added: “You would have heard about it in another multiverse. I’d have been jailed.”
Williams even referenced her old rival, Maria Sharapova, who was banned for two years (later reduced) after testing positive for meldonium in 2016.
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“Just weirdly and oddly, I can’t help but think about Maria all this time,” she reflected.
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“I can’t help but feel for her.”
And Williams is not alone in her outrage.
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Novak Djokovic recently joined the chorus of criticism, claiming “a majority of the players don’t feel that it’s fair,” and pointing to what he describes as clear favouritism.
“It appears you can almost affect the outcome if you are a top player, if you have access to the top lawyers,” Djokovic said pointedly as per Daily Mail.
Either way, Serena’s words have reignited the conversation about bias in elite tennis, and the sport’s governing bodies will now be under immense pressure to dispel the notion and protect their integrity.
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