Although she hasn’t played a competitive match since the 2022 U.S. Open, tennis legend Serena Williams still follows the sport with a passion.
The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion is a big fan of No. 1-ranked men’s player Jannik Sinner, the defending U.S. Open champion who won his second consecutive Australian Open in January. However, Sinner is currently serving a three-month suspension after testing positive last year for a performance-enhancing substance.
In a wide-ranging interview with Time magazine – the publication that just named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world – Williams said Sinner is a ‘fantastic personality’ and is ‘great for the sport.’
But she also made a point to mention, ‘if I did that, I would have gotten 20 years. Let’s be honest. I would have gotten Grand Slams taken away from me.’
As a way of explanation, Williams points to one of her contemporaries on the WTA Tour, Maria Sharapova, who received a two-year ban for doping in 2016 – even though the circumstances surrounding her positive test were similar to Sinner’s.
‘I can’t help but think about Maria all this time,’ Williams said.
Both Sharapova and Sinner said they were unintentionally given the banned substances that led to the failed tests. Sharapova had her suspension eventually reduced to 15 months, while Sinner is currently serving a three-month ban that will not force him to miss any of this year’s Grand Slam tournaments.