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Serena Williams will compete in the women’s singles at Wimbledon for the first time since 2022, entering the tournament as a wild card. She is also participating in the doubles event with her sister Venus, for the first time since 2016.
The road to returning to professional tennis was long. Williams had to return to the anti-doping pool. Asked about the process on Sunday, the 44-year-old tennis legend called the system “unprofessional” and “unreasonable.”
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American Serena Williams arrives for training a day before the start of the Wimbledon tennis championships in London on June 28, 2026. (Kin Cheung/Associated Press)
“It’s exhausting. They’ve 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 pick up my kids,” she said. “It’s unprofessional. I hate it. I think it’s necessary, but I think a lot of things, if I want to go outside of my window, I should be able to go without it being considered a failed test.”
The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) requires players to provide their “location” daily for testing without notice. This is a feature that has received a lot of attention in recent weeks.
2023 Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova has been suspended for four years for refusing to submit to a doping test.
Williams called the process “unreasonable.”
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American Serena Williams smiles after a practice session at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club ahead of the Wimbledon Championships in London on June 25, 2026. (Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP)
“That’s a big reason why I didn’t want to come back either because it’s so difficult. I mean, my life is busy, I run a business, I run a venture capital firm, I travel the world. I have kids. It’s like I can be in so many different cities, so many different times,” she said.
The ITIA responded to Williams’ comments.
“If a tester is unable to reach a player within their allotted hour, then it may be considered a ‘strike,’ and three failures could result in a charge. If a tester is unable to reach a player outside of their allotted time, it is not considered a strike,” the agency said.
“There have been no changes to the location rules in recent years,” ITIA added. “We understand that the system may seem difficult, but it is there to protect players, not to trip them up. If players are unsure or have any questions, we would be happy to have a conversation with them directly or through their agents.”
American Serena Williams makes her return during a training session before the Wimbledon tennis championships in London on June 24, 2026. (Kin Cheung/AP)
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Regardless, Williams said she has always been willing to abide by the rules.
