Serena Williams, the retired 23-time Grand Slam champion, has voiced strong opinions regarding the disparity in penalties between male and female tennis players when it comes to anti-doping violations. Her comments come in the wake of Jannik Sinner's three-month ban for a doping offense, a situation that Williams believes would have resulted in far harsher consequences had she been in the same position.

Sinner, the Italian tennis star currently ranked number one in the world, received a three-month suspension after reaching a settlement with the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) following two positive drug tests last year. The substance in question was clostebol, and while the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) initially cleared Sinner of fault or negligence, Wada appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas), seeking a ban of up to two years. Sinner's defense centered around the claim that he was inadvertently contaminated with the substance by his physiotherapist.

Williams, in an interview with Time magazine, didn't hold back her feelings on the matter. While expressing admiration for Sinner and his contribution to men's tennis, she stated, "[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." She pointed to her own experiences with frequent drug testing and a sense of being unfairly targeted as a female athlete.

In 2018, a Deadspin article highlighted the frequency with which Williams was tested by the US Anti-Doping Agency (Usada). By June of that year, she had already undergone five out-of-competition tests, more than twice the number of tests administered to other top American players. Williams has long felt that she was unfairly scrutinized compared to her male counterparts.

Williams also drew a parallel to Maria Sharapova's case. Sharapova was banned for 15 months after testing positive for meldonium, a substance she claimed she didn't realize had been added to the banned list. Williams expressed sympathy for Sharapova, stating, "Just weirdly and oddly, I can't help but think about Maria all this time. I can't help but feel for her." Both Sharapova and Sinner maintained that they had unintentionally ingested the banned substances.

Sinner's relatively short ban allows him to return to competition in time for the Italian Open in May and the French Open later that month. This has sparked controversy among some in the tennis world. Former British number one Tim Henman called the agreement "too convenient," while Nick Kyrgios claimed that "fairness in tennis does not exist anymore." Stan Wawrinka also expressed his skepticism, stating that he "did not believe in clean sport anymore."

The ITIA has defended its handling of the case, with chief executive Karen Moorhouse stating, "The way we manage cases does not change, irrespective of the profile of the player involved." Sinner's violation carried a maximum sanction of four years before his defense was considered.

Williams retired from tennis in 2022. While she admits missing the sport, she is content with her decision and is focused on her family and business ventures.