Wimbledon finalist Serena Williams has complained of discrimination in doping tests. “It has been proven that I am tested most often.”
Discrimination? I think so,” tweetted the 36-year-old on Wednesday. However, she was willing to do anything to support a clean sport, wrote the 23-time Grand Slam winner.
“It’s this time of day to be randomly tested, and they’re just testing Serena,” twittered Williams. In June, she was said to have been tested a total of five times by US doping control officers, while other players had only been checked once or not at all. Athletes returning to the tour after a long break will be tested more often as they fall into a higher risk category.
Williams gave birth to daughter Alexis Olympia last September, and as a result she herself was in mortal danger for a short time. Williams had suffered a pulmonary embolism after delivery and the resulting cough attacks had opened the freshly sutured Caesarean section wound. This was followed by another operation in which the doctors found a large blood clot in the abdominal cavity. A little later, another procedure followed to prevent the clot from getting into the lungs.
Williams played the first Grand Slam tournament in Roland Garros after her return, the first drumbeat came in Wimbledon when she reached the final. However, the US player had no chance against Angelique Kerber.