Serena Williams suggests that if she had a doping case like Jannik Sinner`s, she would have received a 20-year ban and been stripped of her Grand Slam titles.
Jannik Sinner is currently serving a three-month suspension, ending on May 4, after testing positive for clostebol, an anabolic steroid, twice last year.
Sinner, despite his suspension, remains the world No. 1. He reached an agreement with WADA, claiming the positive tests were due to contamination during a massage by a team member.
WADA accepted that Sinner, the current Australian and US Open champion, did not intend to cheat and that the situation was due to the negligence of his team.
Williams, with 23 Grand Slam titles in her 27-year career, implies that Sinner has been treated too leniently.
`He has a fantastic personality. I love him, and I love tennis. He is great for the sport,` she mentioned to Time Magazine.
`I have faced so much criticism, and I don`t want to criticize anyone. Men`s tennis needs him.`
`If I were in that situation [tested positive for doping], I would have received a 20-year ban, honestly. And I would have had my Grand Slams taken away.`
Serena also noted the case of Iga Swiatek, who received a one-month suspension in November for trimetazidine. Former world No. 1 Simona Halep also faced a ban, initially four years, reduced to nine months after appeal, despite denying intentional use of roxadustat.
Williams added that she was always extremely cautious about what she consumed throughout her career to avoid any potential doping issues.
