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Women's tennis legend Serena Williams has broken her silence on the controversy that's been surrounding men's No. 1-ranked tennis player, Jannik Sinner. She emphasized Sinner's positive contributions to the sport, but she still questioned the consequence that he received.
Williams spoke with Time Magazine after being named one of the people on the publication's 100 Most Influential People list, comparing Sinner's situation to what it would be like if she were the one going through it.
“I love the guy, love this game,” Williams started. “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. [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.”
Williams went on to joke that she would've ended up “in jail” if she were caught in a doping scandal. “You would have heard about it in another multiverse,” she said.
The 43-year-old also explained that she paid extra attention to what she ingested during her playing career so she could avoid anything that might've gotten her in trouble.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and Sinner agreed on a three-month ban in February 2025 after the latter tested positive twice for clostebol, an anabolic agent. An independent tribunal had previously attempted to clear Sinner of any wrongdoing.
The conversation around Sinner's ban also raised questions about whether he was receiving special treatment from WADA. Williams called back to tennis player Maria Sharapova's two-year ban in 2016 for similar circumstances, although Sharapova claimed she was unintentionally given the substance.
“I can't help but think of Maria all this time,” Williams said.
The reigning Australian and US Open champion also maintains that the trace amounts of the banned substance in his system were unintentional and came from the hands of a trainer who gave him a massage. Sinner's ban comes to an end on May 4, without him having missed any Grand Slam tournaments.
