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What’s Behind Serena Williams Being Excessively Drug-Tested Compared To Other Players

What’s Behind Serena Williams Being Excessively Drug-Tested Compared To Other Players

 

The tennis career of Serena Williams has been filled with firsts, major achievements, and victories. But it has also been filled with racism. Williams has endured being called names on and off court by fans, opponents, and even the press. Because she is a player of color, she is often under extra security especially when it comes to being excessively drug tests. And the often top-seeded  player in the world is tired of it.

“The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) has pretty straightforward rules regarding drug testing for professional tennis players. Athletes are required to let the agency know their whereabouts for a one-hour period of their choosing every day, even if they aren’t competing. Test providers also reserve the right to make unannounced visits outside the one-hour window. The player may or not be at home, and if they aren’t available, it doesn’t count against them,” Diversity reported.

But it seems that while Williams has been complying with the rules, there seems to be little doubt she maybe being treated differently than other players.  And on May 21st, she spoke out on her testing situation via Twitter.

She also spoke out about it during a press conference prior to Wimbledon in London. “Equality, that’s all I’ve been preaching. It’s all about equality,” Williams said (via ESPN). “If that’s testing everyone five times, let’s do it. Let’s be a part of it. It’s just about being equal and not centering one person out. Just due to the numbers, it looks like I’m being pushed out. Just test everyone equally.” Williams has always fought for equality on the courts, in fact she was the force behind the push for women players getting equal pay. “I do know I’m always tested, I’m always getting tested, all the time. No matter where I’m ranked. Until I read that article, I didn’t realize it was such a discrepancy with me, as well as against the other players that they listed, at least with the American players, both male and female. It will be impossible for me not to feel some kind of way about that.”

Facts are facts: “So far this year, Serena has been tested five times. Williams is ranked 183rd in the world,” Diversity reported. “Over her 23-year career in tennis, Serena Williams has never tested positive for any illegal substance despite being tested significantly more than other professional tennis players, both male and female–in fact, four times more frequently than her peers…,” Kelly Bush Novak, Serena’s publicist, told Deadspin.

And while Williams has never tested positive, she has been tested more than Maria Sharapova, Italian tennis player Sara Erran, and Dan Evans, who have all failed their drug tests and were temporarily banned from playing the sport, according to the Washington Post.

Serena Williams of the US celebrates winning a point from Arantxa Rus of the Netherlands during the Women’s Singles first round match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Monday July 2, 2018. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)