American tennis great Serena Williams said she was banned for 20 years and stripped of her Grand Slam title if she failed a drug test like the world’s No. 1 Janik Thinner last year.
The sinner accepted the three-month ban in February following an agreement with the world’s doping agency. This challenged the independent court’s decision to clear the misconduct after two positive tests of the assimilator Clostebol.
“I love that guy, I love this game,” Williams, the winner of the 23-time Grand Slam, told Time Magazine after being nominated as part of the Time 100 list of the most influential people. “He’s great for sports. I’ve been so subdued. I don’t want to beat anyone. Men’s tennis needs him.
“(But) if I had done it, I would have been 20 years old. Let’s be honest. I would have taken the Grand Slam away.”
Williams, 43, said she paid special attention to what she put into her body during her career, just in case she ingested something that could bother her. She joked that the PED scandal “put her in prison.”
“You’ve probably heard of it in another multiverse,” she said.
The Australian Open and US Open Champion Thinners have maintained that it will close on May 4th, saying that the Crossteborg traces in the doping samples were due to massage from a trainer who used the substance after cutting their fingers. However, his case raises doubts as to whether he received priority treatment from authorities.
The Iga Swiatek incident also caused a surprise, with women’s world number 2 accepting a month’s suspension in November after testing positive for the banned substance trimethazidine.
Former world No. 1 Simona Halep was banned despite his intentional refusal to take the banned drug Roxadustat. Her four-year suspension was cut to nine months in 2024 after an appeal before the sports Supreme Court.
Williams, who last played at the 2022 US Open, told time he missed playing tennis.
“I miss it so much. I’m healthy, so I miss it,” Williams said. “If I couldn’t walk or if I was that far off from it, I wouldn’t miss it.”
Reuters contributed to this report.